Formatting Issues

How to Stop Track Changes from Altering Formatting in Word

John Wilson Oct 1, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user needs to prevent the Track Changes feature from recording or affecting formatting adjustments in a shared document.

How to Stop Track Changes from Altering Formatting in Word

Product: Microsoft 365
Device & OS: Windows 10
Scenario: Editing a document received from an external correspondent using Track Changes.
Observed behavior: Track Changes is recording every formatting change, which clutters the document markup and unexpectedly alters the visual formatting.

Before you start

Before adjusting your tracking settings, decide whether you want to completely reject past formatting changes or simply stop Word from recording new ones moving forward.

Solution 1Recommended

Disable Formatting Tracking in Word Options

Configure Word's Advanced Track Changes Options to stop recording any new formatting changes while continuing to track text insertions and deletions.

By default, Word tracks all changes including font size, color, and paragraph alignments. Turning off the formatting tracker ensures your markup pane only shows meaningful content revisions.

Open the Review Tab

Open your document in Word and navigate to the 'Review' tab on the ribbon.

Access Advanced Track Changes Options

In the 'Tracking' group, click the small diagonal dialog box launcher arrow in the bottom right corner, or click 'Tracking' and select 'Advanced Options'.

Turn Off Formatting Tracking

In the Advanced Track Changes Options dialog box, locate the 'Formatting' section and uncheck the 'Track formatting' box. Click 'OK' to save your changes.

Disable Formatting Tracking in Word Options

Tracking Updated: Word will now only track text edits (insertions and deletions) and ignore any font, color, or paragraph formatting changes you make.

Solution 2

Hide Existing Formatting Changes from the Markup

If formatting changes have already been tracked and are cluttering your view, you can filter them out without deleting the actual text edits.

Efficient Document Editing

Manage Track Changes Seamlessly with WPS Writer

WPS Office provides an intuitive Writer application that allows you to effortlessly manage Track Changes. You can easily toggle formatting tracking on or off while maintaining perfect compatibility with Microsoft Word documents.

1. Open Your Document in WPS Writer: Launch WPS Office and open the document where you need to manage tracked changes.
2. Navigate to the Review Tab: Click on the 'Review' tab at the top of the interface to access the document editing tools.
3. Access Track Changes Settings: Click the 'Track Changes' dropdown button and select 'Track Changes Options' from the list.
4. Disable Formatting Tracking: In the options window, uncheck the box dedicated to tracking formatting, then click 'OK' to apply the cleaner tracking mode.

Fully compatible with Microsoft Word (.docx) formatsFree, lightweight, and fast installationClean and easy-to-navigate Track Changes interfaceCross-platform support for Windows, Mac, and Linux

microsoft office alternative - wps office

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I accept all formatting changes at once without accepting text edits?

In Word, click 'Show Markup' and uncheck everything except 'Formatting'. Then, click the arrow under the 'Accept' button and choose 'Accept All Changes Shown'. This will resolve the formatting changes while leaving your text edits pending.

Why does my Word document look messy when I open it?

This happens when 'All Markup' is selected in the Tracking settings. You can switch to 'Simple Markup' or 'No Markup' in the Review tab to view a cleaner version of the document without permanently accepting or rejecting the changes.

Will turning off 'Track formatting' delete previously tracked formatting changes?

No. Disabling 'Track formatting' only prevents Word from recording future formatting adjustments. To remove existing formatting balloons from the right margin, you must manually accept or reject them.

Document & File Issues