How to Turn Off Track Changes in Microsoft Word

Have you ever opened a Microsoft Word document and seen all sorts of red lines and comments? Surprise! That’s not a mistake — it’s just Track Changes doing its thing. While it’s super helpful for editing and working with others, sometimes you just want it to stop. Don’t worry. In this guide, we’ll walk through how to turn off Track Changes in Microsoft Word. It’s easier than you think — and actually kind of fun.

What is Track Changes?

Track Changes is a feature that shows edits made to a document. You’ll see:

• Deletions (crossed out)
• Insertions (underlined)
• Comments on the side

It’s like having a digital red pen. Editors love it. Teachers too. But when you’re done editing? You want those marks gone.

Why Turn It Off?

Sometimes, your document looks like it’s bleeding red ink. Not cool, especially if you’re about to send it out. Turning off Track Changes makes it clean and professional.

Let’s Turn Those Tracks Off!

Now to the fun stuff. Here’s how to turn off Track Changes in Microsoft Word. Follow these easy-peasy steps.

Step 1: Open Your Document

This sounds obvious, but hey — you’ve got to start somewhere. Open the Word file where your changes are being tracked.

Step 2: Go to the “Review” Tab

At the top of your Word screen, you’ll see a bunch of tabs.

Click on the one that says Review. This tab is your editing control center.

Step 3: Find the “Track Changes” Button

In the Review Tab, look for the Track Changes button. It’s usually smack in the middle, next to other editing tools.

Click it. If it’s dark or highlighted, that means Track Changes is ON.

Click it again to turn it OFF.

Ta-da! You Did It!

That’s it! You’ve stopped Word from tracking every little thing you do.

But wait… that doesn’t delete the existing marks in your doc. You’ve stopped tracking new changes, but the old ones? They’re still there.

So How Do I Get Rid of the Old Markups?

Excellent question. Let’s deal with the stuff that’s already been tracked.

Accept or Reject Changes

To clean things up, you’ll need to go through those tracked changes one by one (or all at once!) and accept or reject them.

Option 1: One by One

1. Still in the Review tab.
2. Click Next to go to the next tracked change.
3. Use Accept or Reject to deal with it.
4. Repeat until you’re done.

Option 2: All at Once

Want to save time? Here’s the Fast & Furious method:

1. Click the arrow under the Accept button.
2. Choose Accept All Changes.

Or…

1. Click the arrow under Reject.
2. Choose Reject All Changes.

Either way, your document will instantly look cleaner.

And What About the Comments?

Did someone leave comments in the margin?

No worries, you can clear those too.

How to Delete Comments

1. Go to the Review tab.
2. Click Next to find a comment.
3. Click Delete to remove it.
4. Or click the arrow under Delete and pick Delete All Comments in Document.

Now it’s really clean. High five!

Bonus Tips & Fun Facts

• Track Changes doesn’t go away just because you print. You have to turn it off first to print a clean copy.
• Want to keep editing but not show marks? Change the view to No Markup.
• When you send someone a file with Track Changes ON, they’ll see everything. So be sure to turn it off before sending!

Quick Recap

Let’s bring it all together:

• Open your document.
• Go to the Review tab.
• Click Track Changes to turn it off.
• Accept or Reject old changes.
• Delete comments if needed.

And just like that, your doc is fresh and clean!

When Should You Use Track Changes?

While we’re at it, here’s when Track Changes can actually help:

• You’re working on a group project.
• You’re editing someone else’s work.
• You want to keep track of what you changed.

It’s a super smart tool — just better when you know how and when to use it.

What If It’s Still Not Turning Off?

Sometimes, Track Changes is locked.

Maybe someone protected the document. You’ll need a password to unlock it.

Here’s what to do:

1. Go to Review tab.
2. Find Restrict Editing on the far right.
3. Click it and look for a Stop Protection button.

If it asks for a password… you’ll need to ask whoever protected it.

You’re Now a Word Wizard

Congrats, legend! You now know how to master one of Word’s trickiest features. Turning off Track Changes — and clearing old ones — may seem mystical at first. But follow these steps, and you’re the editing boss!

So next time your doc is covered in red and lines and boxes, smile and say, “I got this.” Then click Review. Click Track Changes. Accept or Reject. Delete those comments. And walk away like a Word champion.

Happy editing!