Tracking in Microsoft Word is a handy feature that allows users to track any changes others make to the text. For example, you ask someone to edit a document. And when the work is done, you can see what changes they have made.
While keeping track of changes to a Word document often helps, sometimes it’s still not necessary. For example, if you don’t want others to be able to see changes or if you don’t want someone else to see your mistakes.
That’s why Microsoft Word allows you to turn off this feature. So here’s how.
How to turn off Tracking in Microsoft Word
If you want to disable the Tracking feature in your Microsoft Word document, you need to follow these steps:
- First, open your Microsoft Word document and go to the Review tab.
- After that, click Tracking, and select Off from the Track Changes list of options.
- Finally, click Accept.
You can also enable Tracking only for yourself. To do so, just select the Just Mine option.
Once you have enabled Tracking, you can make changes to your document simply by typing or editing as usual. Edits will be formatted differently than the rest of the document and will include a mark in the margins to indicate them.
For example, if you delete a paragraph using the Tracking feature, it will remain visible but highlighted in a red underlined font. So you won’t confuse it with the rest of the text.
How to create Track Changes comments in Microsoft Word
If you want to make comments in your Microsoft Word document without adding them to the text – follow these steps:
- Open your document and use a mouse to select the text you want to comment on.
- Then click New Comment on the Review tab.
- A bubble will appear in the document’s margins containing your name and assigned color.
- After that, enter your comment.
- Just click Reply and enter your message if you want to respond to a comment.
- Finally, click Send.
You can click anywhere outside the comment bubble and continue editing your document after completing the steps above.
How to delete Track Changes comments in Microsoft Word
You can quickly delete a Track Changes comment in your Microsoft Word document. To do so, follow these steps:
- Select the comment you want to delete.
- Then go to the Review tab and click Delete.
That’s all. The comment will disappear.
Read Also:
- How to check who edited a Microsoft Word document
- How to add citations and bibliography in Microsoft Word
- How to insert a built-in bibliography without a preformatted heading in Microsoft Word
How to hide all changes and comments in Microsoft Word
You can control what changes and comments you see by adjusting the markup settings. In the Review tab, next to Tracking, is a drop-down menu with two options that show the different levels of changes made to the document.
- All Markup
- It shows all changes and comments made since the Track feature was turned on.
- Simple Markup
- It shows a simplified version of changes and comments, represented by notes in the document’s margins rather than visible formatting.
You can also click on the Show Comments button to see all comments you or someone else made to this document.
