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How to Show or Hide Tracked Changes in Microsoft Word
Question details
The user wants to know how to toggle the visibility of tracked changes, such as switching between a simplified document view and a detailed view showing all edits and balloons.
- Product
- Microsoft Word
- Device & OS
- Windows 11 Professional
- Scenario
- Reviewing or editing a document that contains tracked changes, requiring precise control over how revisions and margin balloons are displayed.
- Observed behavior
- Clicking the vertical revision bar toggles between Simple Markup (hiding detailed edits) and All Markup (displaying detailed tracked changes), but the user needs full instructions on managing and permanently clearing these revisions.
Ensure you have your document open in Microsoft Word and navigate to a page that contains visible revision marks, deleted text, or margin comments.
Toggle Between Simple Markup and All Markup
Use the Display for Review menu or the quick margin toggle to instantly show or hide detailed tracked changes in your document.
Microsoft Word provides multiple viewing modes for tracked changes. Simple Markup gives you a clean read of the document while indicating where changes were made, whereas All Markup shows every detailed insertion and deletion.
Look for a vertical line in the left margin next to any changed text. Click this line to quickly toggle your view between Simple Markup (simplified view) and All Markup (displaying all tracked changes and balloons).
Alternatively, go to the 'Review' tab on the top ribbon. In the 'Tracking' group, click the 'Display for Review' drop-down menu and explicitly select 'All Markup' or 'Simple Markup'.
Permanently Remove Tracked Changes
If you want to finalize the document and completely remove the tracked changes rather than just hiding them, you must accept or reject the revisions.
Easily Manage Tracked Changes with WPS Writer
WPS Writer offers a highly intuitive and fully compatible Track Changes feature, allowing you to seamlessly collaborate, review, and toggle markup just as you would in Microsoft Word.
- 1. Open Your Document: Launch WPS Writer and open the document containing the tracked changes you want to review.
- 2. Navigate to the Review Tab: Click on the 'Review' tab located in the top ribbon menu to access the built-in collaboration tools.
- 3. Adjust Markup Display: In the Tracking group, click the Display for Review drop-down menu and select 'Final: Show Markup' to view all changes, or 'Final' to hide them.
- 4. Accept or Reject Revisions: Use the 'Accept' or 'Reject' buttons on the ribbon to permanently apply or remove the tracked changes, then save your finalized document.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why can't I turn off Track Changes in my document?
If the Track Changes button is greyed out or locked, the document might be protected. Go to the 'Review' tab, click 'Restrict Editing', and click 'Stop Protection' at the bottom of the pane. You will need to enter the password if one was set by the document owner.
What is the difference between Simple Markup and All Markup?
Simple Markup provides a clean, simplified view of the final document, indicating changes with a red vertical line in the margin but hiding inline edits. All Markup displays every detailed change, including crossed-out deletions in red and formatting adjustments in side balloons.
How do I hide comments but keep tracked changes visible?
In the 'Review' tab, click 'Show Markup' in the Tracking group. Uncheck 'Comments' from the drop-down list to hide the comment balloons while keeping text insertions, deletions, and formatting changes fully visible in the document.
Do hidden tracked changes print when I print the document?
Yes, unless you specify otherwise in the print settings. To print the document without showing the revisions, go to File > Print. Under the Settings dropdown (usually under 'Print All Pages'), uncheck the 'Print Markup' option before printing.
