Office Performance Issues

How to Fix Microsoft Word Slow When Editing Tracked Changes

Emma Brown Oct 8, 2026 869 views

Question details

Users experience severe lagging, freezing, or crashing in Microsoft Word when editing documents that contain tracked changes, comments, or complex formatting.

How to Fix Microsoft Word Slowing Down When Editing Tracked Changes

Product: Microsoft Word
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Editing or adding comments to documents while Track Changes is enabled.
Observed behavior: Word becomes extremely slow, unresponsive, or crashes entirely, especially when processing files with complex formatting, macros, or dense markup history.

Before you start

Save your work and create a backup copy of the affected document before resolving tracked changes or disabling any application add-ins.

Solution 1Recommended

Accept or Reject Existing Tracked Changes

Reducing the number of active tracked changes and comments in the document can significantly improve Word's processing speed.

Microsoft Word can struggle to render documents that have a heavy history of revisions. Resolving these changes clears the markup backlog and frees up system memory.

Open the Review Tab

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

Accept All Changes

Click the 'Accept' dropdown button and select 'Accept All Changes' to clear the document's markup history.

Delete Resolved Comments

In the same Review tab, click the 'Delete' dropdown in the Comments section and choose 'Delete All Comments in Document'.

Save and Test

Save the document, restart Microsoft Word, and check if the editing speed has returned to normal.

Accept or Reject Existing Tracked Changes

Alternative Method: If you cannot accept all changes, try working in 'Draft' view (View > Draft) to reduce the graphical rendering load on your computer.

Solution 2

Disable Third-Party COM Add-ins

Third-party add-ins can conflict with Word's tracking features and cause extreme slowdowns or crashes.

Solution 3

Submit Feedback and Check for Macros

Since complex formatting or macros can trigger this bug without a universal fix, identifying macros or reporting the file to Microsoft may be necessary.

Free Microsoft Office alternative

Try WPS Office for Smooth Document Editing

If Microsoft Word continues to lag or crash when handling tracked changes, consider switching to WPS Office. It provides a lightweight, fast, and free alternative that handles heavy revisions, comments, and complex formatting smoothly without freezing.

1. Download WPS Office: Download and install the free version of WPS Office from the official website.
2. Open Your Document: Launch WPS Writer and open your existing .docx file containing the tracked changes.
3. Edit Smoothly: Navigate to the 'Review' tab to continue editing, accepting, or rejecting tracked changes without performance drops.

Smoothly handles tracked changes, comments, and large document editing without lagging.Highly compatible with Microsoft Word (.docx) formats.Lightweight installation that consumes fewer system CPU and memory resources.Familiar user interface for a seamless migration.

microsoft office alternative - wps office

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does Word freeze when I add a comment or track a change?

Word can struggle with memory management and background rendering when a document contains a dense history of tracked changes, complex macros, or heavy formatting, leading to freezing or lagging.

Will repairing Microsoft 365 fix the lagging issue?

Repairing Microsoft 365 often does not resolve this specific issue and may result in having to reinstall your programs. It is generally better to first try accepting all changes or disabling background add-ins.

How can I edit large documents without Word slowing down?

To edit large documents smoothly, consider splitting the document into smaller chapters, accepting older tracked changes, removing resolved comments, or switching to 'Draft' view under the View tab to reduce the rendering load.

Can document macros cause Word to slow down during tracked changes?

Yes, complex macros running in the background can interfere with the Track Changes feature. Disabling macros temporarily while editing can help identify if they are the root cause of the performance drop.

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