Formatting Issues

How to Fix Text Appearing Red Instead of Black in Word

Maira Mehtab Sep 20, 2026 875 views

Question details

The user needs to know why newly typed text in a downloaded Word document appears in red font and how to revert it to standard black text.

Product: Word Processor
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Editing a downloaded Word assignment or collaborating on a shared document.
Observed behavior: Text typed into the document appears red instead of the default black because the Track Changes feature was left enabled by the document creator.

Before you start

Check if you need to keep a visible record of your edits for a teacher or collaborator, as accepting changes will permanently merge your edits into the document and remove the revision history.

Solution 1Recommended

Accept All Changes and Stop Tracking

This is the recommended method if you want your text to permanently remain black and no longer need to track or review document revisions.

When Track Changes is active, the word processor highlights all modifications made by users. Inserted text often defaults to red to stand out. To return to normal typing, you must resolve the existing changes and disable the tracking feature.

Go to the Review tab

Open your document and click on the 'Review' tab located in the top ribbon menu.

Accept all changes

Locate the 'Accept' button in the tracking group. Click its dropdown arrow and select 'Accept All Changes'. This applies all previous edits and turns the red tracked text into standard black text.

Stop tracking

In the same dropdown menu, or directly on the Review ribbon, select 'Stop Tracking' or toggle off the highlighted 'Track Changes' button. All future typing will now appear in the default black font.

Keyboard Shortcut: You can quickly toggle the Track Changes feature on and off by pressing Ctrl + Shift + E on your keyboard.

Solution 2

Hide Revision Formatting (No Markup)

Use this method if you need to keep tracking changes in the background for a collaborator, but want the document to appear clean and normal while you work.

Manage Document Revisions Easily

Control Track Changes Smoothly in WPS Writer

WPS Writer offers an intuitive Review interface that makes tracking, accepting, and hiding changes effortless. It is fully equipped to handle document revisions with ease.

1. Open your document in WPS Writer: Launch WPS Office and open your downloaded assignment.
2. Navigate to the Review tab: Click the 'Review' tab on the top menu bar to access the revision tools.
3. Manage your changes: Click the 'Track Changes' button to turn off tracking, or click 'Accept' followed by 'Accept All Changes in Document' to finalize your edits in black text.

Fully compatible with Microsoft Word (.docx) track changes format.Clear, user-friendly interface for accepting or rejecting document revisions.Customize markup colors and display preferences effortlessly.Free, lightweight, and fast document processing alternative.

microsoft office alternative - wps office

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I change the color of tracked changes in my document?

Yes, you can customize how markup appears. Go to the Review tab, click the small arrow icon in the Track Changes section to open Advanced Track Changes Options, and select your preferred colors for insertions, deletions, and formatting changes.

Why did my text randomly turn red even though I didn't turn on Track Changes?

If you downloaded a document from an email, portal, or received it from someone else, the original author likely saved the file with Track Changes already enabled. Any new typing you add will automatically be tracked and colored red until you manually disable the feature.

Does accepting changes delete my original text?

Accepting changes confirms the edits made to the document. If text was newly inserted (red), accepting it makes it permanent black text. If original text was deleted (often appearing crossed out in red), accepting the change will permanently remove it from the document.

Document & File Issues