Word online is a great tool, especially if you are looking to track and show edits made on collaborative Word documents. You and your coworkers will surely save the time and effort you need to put into editing multiple-word documents. This post takes you through how to track changes in Word online.
How to track changes in Word Online
Turning track changes on and off on Windows (Windows 11)
On your Windows system, turning track changes is relatively straightforward.
- Click on the Review tab, select Track Changes, and then Under this, you have two options: For Everyone or Just Mine.
- Choosing For Everyone will enable all users to make and track changes in the Word online document while
- Choosing Mine will enable only your changes to be tracked.
While editing the document, you can turn on tracking by clicking the dropdown menu. This menu is beneficial when switching between modes.
The deletions or edits are marked differently when changing an online Word document in track changes mode. Both the changes are in red, the only difference being
- Deletions in the Word online document are marked with a strikethrough and
- Additions in the Word online document are underlined
- If more than one author edits a Word document, changes will appear in different colors.
When Track Changes is off, edits to your Word online document do not appear in red; they go back to black or the color you were initially working with.
Please note: The changes you were tracking, the deletions, and the additions marked in red (strikethrough and underlined) will stay until they are accepted or rejected.
How to identify a change in a word online document?
The line on the left margin indicates a change in the paragraph. To view the changes, you can click on the line if it hasn’t already been shown.
Read How to accept or reject changes in Word Online
Turning track changes on and off on macOS (newer version)
To track changes on macOS, click on the Review tab, and the dropdown section will have a slider to turn Track Changes on
All changes made in the document will show if you hover on the line in the left margin near paragraphs edited.
Edits from different devices or individuals will appear in different colors, making it easier to keep track of edits. You could also assign roles to people and restrict their access to the document. The options available include read-only, where they cannot make any editorial alterations to the document but only view it.
When someone adds a comment, it will show up as a balloon. You can read and reply to comments by clicking on the bubble.
How to track changes in Word Online on MacOS?
Comments in balloons can be a little distracting, especially if there are too many of them. To simplify things, there is an option to show all revisions in line with this.
Go to the Review tab > select Markup Options
Point to Balloons for a side menu and choose Show All Revisions Inline.
Additional Information
Commenting on the changes made in Word Online documents
It is always helpful when you can add a little note to edits done. While tracking changes, the comments function makes it easier to understand and rectify documents that need editing.
The dropdown menu has an option to add or show comments. You can add and read comments by just clicking on the show comments or adding a new comment option.
There is also an option to read all comments in the Word document. This way, you can view all edits and comments simultaneously. Comments from different users show up in different colors.
Like changes, you can either accept or reject comments. You can also have a counter comment to explain a certain edit or clarify.
The document could be protected if the track changes option is not visible or unavailable on your Word online. For this
Open the Word online document, Go to Review > Restrict Editing, and select Stop Protection.
You can also check the panel above to see if the viewing option is selected. This means that the person can only view the document and not edit or review it.
Unable to track changes in Word Online on macOS
You cannot track changes in a document because it is a read-only file or you have only viewing access. For this, the person sharing the file needs to permit you to edit.
FAQs
What is the meaning of track changes
Answer:
It is expected to hear the term track changes while working on Word, especially while collaborating on documents. People unfamiliar with it might get confused about how to do it or what it exactly is. Here is a breakdown.
Track changes is a review tool in Word online and on the Desktop version of Word. It enables you to track the changes made to the document by all collaborators. All the changes are marked with the name of the person editing them.
The document owner can review these changes. Reviewing means that you can either accept or reject the changes made by the different collaborators.
The changes you make to a Word online document while tracking changes are like suggestions that you or your colleagues can review. They can either be accepted or removed. Here is how it is done
How to lock track changes in Word Online Mac
Answer:
For this, go to the Tools tab, select Protect Document, and then click on Tracked Changes
You will then have a password box to enter a password of your choice and select OK.
This way, the track changes will still be on, but you can accept or reject them.
To turn off track changes, go to the Review tab and Turn off Track Changes.
Can you lock track changes in Word Online
Answer: Yes, using the above information.
In conclusion
Word online is excellent when it comes to collaborations. You have so many formatting and reviewing options that it makes tasks simpler. This article looked at how you can track changes in Word online. It also looked at tracking changes in Windows and Mac.
While performing tasks in collaboration, there are times when you need to accept all changes made to the document or sometimes reject them all. This can easily be done while using the desktop application. You can lock changes and add a password while tracking to avoid accidentally accepting or rejecting changes.
I hope you found this tutorial helpful. You may like the following word online tutorials:
My name is Carissa Gudino and I am an expert in word online, using Word Online in my day-to-day tasks. In this blog, I will share with you tips and tutorials on how to use word online to its fullest potential. I work for various clients in various countries like the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, etc. My tutorials are designed to help beginners, as well as more experienced users, learn new tricks and tips on Microsoft word online. Check out more.