How to Remove Tracked Changes Before Converting Word to PDF
Question details
The user needs to export a clean PDF without showing Microsoft Word tracked changes, sidebars, and comments in the final converted file.
- Product
- Microsoft Word
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Converting a reviewed Word document containing active tracked changes and comments into a PDF file for sharing or publishing.
- Observed behavior
- Tracked changes and comments remain visible in the converted PDF file, even if they were set to be hidden in the Word display settings.
Before exporting to PDF, ensure you have reviewed all critical edits, as permanently accepting or rejecting tracked changes cannot easily be undone once the document is saved.
Accept or Reject All Tracked Changes (Recommended)
The most reliable way to ensure tracked changes do not appear in your PDF is to permanently resolve them in the Word document prior to conversion.
Simply changing the view to 'No Markup' only hides the edits on your screen; the data still exists in the file and will often be rendered by PDF converters. To completely remove them, you must accept or reject the edits.
Open your document in Microsoft Word and navigate to the 'Review' tab on the top ribbon.
Click the 'Accept' or 'Reject' dropdown button in the Changes group.
Select 'Accept All Changes' or 'Reject All Changes' to permanently remove the markup from the document.
If you also have comments, click the 'Delete' dropdown in the Comments group and select 'Delete All Comments in Document'.
Exclude Comments and Markup When Saving as Adobe PDF
If you are using the Adobe PDF add-in and wish to keep the changes in your Word file but hide them in the PDF, you can configure the specific conversion options.
Use the Print to PDF Feature Without Markup
You can bypass PDF export add-ins by using the built-in Print function and disabling the print markup option.
Easily Export Clean PDFs from Word Documents with WPS Office
WPS Office provides a highly intuitive interface to handle documents with tracked changes and export them seamlessly. You can easily resolve edits or choose to export without markups directly using the built-in, free PDF converter.
- 1. Open the Document in WPS Writer: Launch WPS Office, open your document, and navigate to the 'Review' tab to manage your tracked changes.
- 2. Resolve or Hide Edits: Use the 'Accept' or 'Reject' options to finalize the document, or toggle the markup view if you only want to hide them temporarily.
- 3. Export to PDF: Click 'Menu' > 'Export to PDF'. In the export dialog, customize your settings to ensure comments and markups are excluded, then click 'Export'.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does 'No Markup' still show tracked changes in the resulting PDF?
Selecting 'No Markup' in Word only changes your current display view on your screen. The tracked changes data remains embedded in the file and will often be rendered by PDF converters unless you permanently accept/reject the changes or explicitly change the PDF export settings to exclude them.
Can I hide comments in the PDF without deleting them from the original Word file?
Yes. You can preserve the comments in your Word document by using the 'Print to PDF' method. Press Ctrl+P, select a PDF printer, click the Settings dropdown, and uncheck 'Print Markup'. This prints a clean version while leaving your original file intact.
Does this tracking removal process work on Microsoft Word for Mac?
Yes, the process is very similar on a Mac. You can go to the Review tab to Accept/Reject changes. If you want to keep the changes but export a clean PDF, use the 'File' > 'Print' dialog, click on the 'Copies & Pages' dropdown to select 'Microsoft Word', and choose 'Document' instead of 'Document showing markup' before saving as PDF.
Why is the 'Save as Adobe PDF' option missing in my Word document?
The 'Save as Adobe PDF' option relies on an Adobe Acrobat add-in being installed and enabled in Microsoft Word. If you do not have Acrobat installed, or the add-in is disabled, you can use Word's native 'File > Save As > PDF' or the 'Print to PDF' alternative instead.
