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How to Show Only Revision Bars When Printing in Word Track Changes
Question details
The user wants to print a document with Track Changes enabled showing only the vertical revision bars in the margin, while completely hiding the deleted text.
- Product
- Microsoft Word
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Printing a document with active Track Changes where deleted content must not appear on the paper, but margin indicators must remain.
- Observed behavior
- Word continues to print the deleted text in the document even when it appears hidden on the screen, unless advanced markup settings are strictly configured.
Ensure you have saved your document before making changes to your tracking options, and verify that your printer is connected and ready to print a test page.
Configure Advanced Track Changes Options to Hide Deletions
Adjust the advanced markup settings in Word so that insertions and deletions are visually hidden, but the vertical revision bars remain active for printing.
By default, standard tracking views might still send hidden deletion data to the printer. To bypass this, you must change the exact formatting of insertions and deletions to 'none' and 'Hidden' in the Advanced Track Changes menu.
Navigate to the 'Review' tab on the Microsoft Word ribbon. Click the dialog box launcher (the small arrow) in the lower-right corner of the 'Tracking' group, or click 'Tracking' and select 'Advanced Options'.
In the 'Advanced Track Changes Options' dialog box, locate the 'Insertions' drop-down menu and change its setting to '(none)'.
Find the 'Deletions' drop-down menu in the same dialog box and set it to 'Hidden'. This tells Word to suppress deleted text both on-screen and on paper.
Ensure the 'Changed lines' option (which controls the revision bars) is set to 'Outside border' or 'Left border' so the vertical line indicator remains visible.
Click 'OK' to apply the settings. Go to 'File' > 'Print' and inspect the print preview pane to confirm that the deleted text is invisible while the margin revision bars are present, then print your test page.
Easily Manage and Print Track Changes with WPS Writer
WPS Writer offers a highly intuitive Track Changes interface, allowing you to easily toggle what markup prints. You can print the final document with customized revision bars without struggling through deeply hidden advanced settings.
- 1. Open your document in WPS Writer: Launch WPS Office and open your .docx file containing the tracked changes.
- 2. Access the Review tab: Navigate to the 'Review' tab on the top ribbon and locate the Track Changes group.
- 3. Customize Markup Settings: Click the drop-down menu next to Track Changes to access tracking options, where you can quickly hide deletions and keep revision lines.
- 4. Print the Document: Go to 'Menu' > 'Print' and check the print preview to ensure your markup settings are correctly reflected before hitting Print.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Word still print deleted text when I selected 'No Markup'?
Selecting 'No Markup' (or 'Simple Markup' depending on your Word version) often hides all changes, including the revision bars, but sometimes temporary views do not apply to the printer output. If you want the revision bars to show, you must keep markup enabled but change the specific formatting for deletions to 'Hidden' in the Advanced Track Changes options.
Where do I find the Advanced Track Changes settings in Word 365?
Go to the 'Review' tab, click the 'Tracking' drop-down arrow (or the tiny diagonal arrow icon in the corner of the Tracking group box), and select 'Advanced Options' to open the detailed markup formatting dialog.
Can I choose which side of the page the revision bars appear on?
Yes. In the Advanced Track Changes Options menu, you can set the 'Changed lines' drop-down to display on the 'Left border', 'Right border', or 'Outside border' depending on your formatting and margin preferences.
Will this setting permanently hide deleted text in all my Word documents?
Track Changes formatting settings are typically saved at the application level on your device, meaning future documents might also hide deleted text. You can easily revert deletions back to 'Strikethrough' in the same advanced settings menu at any time to restore default visibility.
