How to Show, Accept, or Hide Tracked Changes in Word

This guide shows you how to manage tracked changes in Microsoft Word, covering how to display or hide edits, accept or reject them individually or all at once, and troubleshoot common issues. You’ll need a document that contains tracked changes, which appear as red, underlined, or highlighted text when editing is turned on.

What You’ll Need

A Microsoft Word document with tracked changes (if you don’t have one, you can turn on Track Changes under the Review tab)
Word 2010 or later (the steps are similar across versions, but menu names may vary slightly)

Step-by-Step

Open the document in Microsoft Word. If you see red text or underlines, tracked changes are already present.
Go to the Review tab on the ribbon at the top of the window. This is where all tracking and markup tools are located.
To show or hide tracked changes, click the Track Changes button (it looks like a pencil with a document). If it’s highlighted, tracking is on; click it to turn it off. To hide the markup visually without accepting, go to the Review tab, find the Tracking group, and click the Show Markup drop-down. Uncheck Comments, Insertions and Deletions, or Formatting to hide those types of changes. To hide all markup, click the Markup drop-down (or Display for Review in some versions) and select No Markup. This shows the document as if all changes were accepted, but they are still there.
To accept a single change, click on the change (the red text or the line in the margin) to select it. Then, in the Changes group on the Review tab, click Accept. The change will be incorporated into the text, and the markup disappears.
To reject a single change, select the change and click Reject. The text reverts to its original state, and the markup disappears.
To accept or reject all changes at once, click the small arrow under the Accept or Reject button and choose Accept All Changes or Reject All Changes. This applies to the entire document.
To accept or reject changes from a specific reviewer, first click Show Markup and then Specific People. Uncheck all reviewers except the one you want. Then use the Accept or Reject options—they will only apply to the visible changes.
To accept or reject changes in a specific section, select the text range, then use the Accept or Reject buttons. Word will ask if you want to apply to just the selection or the whole document.

Common Mistakes

Clicking Accept on a change that isn’t selected—make sure you click directly on the change or its margin line before hitting Accept.
Using “Accept All” when you only want to accept some—this is irreversible unless you undo immediately (Ctrl+Z).
Thinking “No Markup” removes changes—it only hides them temporarily. To permanently remove, you must accept or reject.
Forgetting to turn off Track Changes—if you keep editing, new changes will be tracked, which can confuse the review process.

Tips

Use Ctrl+Shift+E to quickly toggle Track Changes on or off.
To see a summary of all changes, go to Review > Tracking > Reviewing Pane. It shows a vertical or horizontal panel listing every change.
If you want to accept all changes but keep comments for later, first delete comments individually (right-click a comment and choose Delete Comment), then use Accept All.
Save a copy of the document before accepting all changes, especially if you might need to revert.

Troubleshooting

Changes are not visible even though Track Changes is on. Check the Display for Review setting—if it’s set to “No Markup,” changes are hidden. Switch to “All Markup” to see them.

The Accept button is grayed out. This usually means no change is selected. Click directly on a change or the margin bar next to it.

Changes from a previous reviewer are missing. Go to Show Markup > Specific People and ensure all reviewers are checked. Also check that “Comments” and “Formatting” are checked if you expect those types.

Accept All doesn’t work on some changes. Some changes might be in text boxes, headers, footers, or footnotes. You need to navigate to those areas and accept them separately.

Track Changes button is not responding. Try closing and reopening the document, or restart Word. If the document is shared, check if it’s locked for editing by another user.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can I hide tracked changes without accepting them?
A: Yes, set the review display to “No Markup” to see the document as if all changes were accepted, but they remain in the file.

Q: How do I accept all changes in a specific part of the document?
A: Select that part, then click the Accept drop-down and choose “Accept All Changes Shown” (or similar, depending on version).

Q: What’s the difference between Accept and Reject?
A: Accept keeps the inserted text or formatting change and removes the markup. Reject removes the inserted text or reverts a deletion, restoring the original.

Q: Can I undo an Accept All?
A: Yes, immediately press Ctrl+Z (Undo). If you’ve closed the document, you may not be able to undo, so it’s wise to save a backup first.

Q: Why do my changes show as colored underlines instead of red text?
A: Word uses different colors for different reviewers. You can change the color in File > Options > Advanced > Track Changes options.

Q: How do I remove comments but keep tracked changes?
A: Go to the Review tab, click the arrow under Delete (in the Comments group), and choose “Delete All Comments in Document.” This does not affect tracked insertions or deletions.

General steps for current mainstream versions; menus can differ by device and version. See the disclaimer or report an error.

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