Document Editing Problems

Fix Word Compare Documents Showing All Tracked Changes as Mine

Khadija Khan Sep 27, 2026 869 views

Question details

Users need to retain the original authors' names when comparing or merging documents containing tracked changes from multiple reviewers.

How to Fix Word Compare Documents Showing All Tracked Changes as Mine

Product: Microsoft Word
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Merging or comparing two documents that contain tracked changes made by multiple different authors.
Observed behavior: Word incorrectly assigns all tracked changes to the current user's name instead of preserving the original reviewers' identities, despite the source documents showing the correct author information.

Before you start

Ensure you have saved backup copies of your original source documents so you do not permanently lose the accurate author names if a merge fails.

Solution 1Recommended

Use the Combine Feature Instead of Compare

The Combine tool is specifically designed to merge revisions from multiple authors while preserving their individual identities, whereas Compare may overwrite them.

Microsoft Word handles 'Compare' and 'Combine' differently. While Compare is meant for viewing differences between two static versions, Combine is engineered to merge tracked changes from multiple reviewers into a single document without losing author metadata.

Access the Review Tab

Open Microsoft Word and navigate to the 'Review' tab on the main ribbon.

Select the Combine Option

Click on 'Compare' in the Tracking group, and then choose 'Combine...' from the drop-down menu.

Merge the Documents

Select your original document and the revised document in the popup dialog box, then click 'OK' to merge the files while keeping the original authors' names intact.

Use the Combine Feature Instead of Compare

Successful Merge: If successful, the newly generated document will display each specific author's name next to their respective tracked changes.

Solution 2

Update or Roll Back Microsoft Office

If the Combine feature still labels changes with your name, you may be experiencing a known Word version bug.

Free Microsoft Office alternative

Try WPS Office for Reliable Document Collaboration

If Microsoft Word continues to overwrite original author names during document comparison, consider switching to WPS Office. It provides a lightweight, free, and highly compatible environment for editing, reviewing, and collaborating on documents without these frustrating bugs.

1. Download and Install: Download WPS Office for free from the official website and install it on your device.
2. Open Your Documents: Launch WPS Writer and open your original .docx files containing the tracked changes.
3. Collaborate Seamlessly: Navigate to the Review tab to reliably track changes, add comments, and merge documents while preserving all author metadata.

Fully compatible with Microsoft Word (.docx) formats and tracked changes.Accurately preserves reviewer information during multi-author document collaboration.Free and lightweight alternative to Microsoft Office.Intuitive interface that requires zero learning curve for existing Word users.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does Word change the author name when comparing documents?

This typically occurs when using the 'Compare' function instead of the 'Combine' function. Compare is optimized to evaluate text differences, often consolidating edits under the person running the comparison. It can also be caused by a software bug where Word improperly applies the 'Label changes with' field to all edits.

Can I recover the original author names if Word already changed them?

Once Word overwrites the author names and you save the new document, the metadata cannot be automatically reverted. You must delete the flawed comparison document and re-run the process using the 'Combine' tool on the original, unmodified source files.

How do I change my user name for future tracked changes in Word?

Navigate to 'File' > 'Options' > 'General'. Under the section titled 'Personalize your copy of Microsoft Office', you can edit the 'User name' and 'Initials' fields to change how your identity appears on future edits.

Document & File Issues