Disable Track Changes right now with one click
Track Changes in Microsoft Word records every edit you make — insertions, deletions, formatting changes — and marks them visibly in your document. When you no longer need to see or record these edits, you turn it off by clicking the Track Changes button in the Review tab. The button works as a toggle: click it once to turn tracking on, click it again to turn it off. Any changes you made while tracking was active stay marked in the document until you accept or reject them.
Disabling Track Changes does not erase the edits that were already recorded. It only stops Word from marking new edits going forward. If you want to clean up a document and remove all the visible markup, you need to accept or reject the existing changes after you turn off tracking.
Key Takeaways
- Click the Review tab, then click Track Changes to turn off edit tracking immediately.
- Turning off Track Changes does not remove edits already marked in the document — you must accept or reject them separately.
- If Track Changes is grayed out, the document may be in read-only mode or protected by another user.
- You can accept all changes at once using the Accept All button, or go through them one at a time.
The fastest way: Review tab and one click
Open the document in Microsoft Word. Look at the top of the screen and click the Review tab. You will see a button labeled Track Changes with a small icon that looks like a pen with a checkmark. Click it once.
The button will no longer be highlighted or pressed in. This means Track Changes is now off, and Word will not mark any new edits you make. If you need to verify the status, look at the Track Changes button — when it is off, it appears flat and unpressed. When it is on, it appears pressed or highlighted depending on your version of Word.
Remove the visible markup from your document
After you turn off Track Changes, the edits that were already recorded still appear in your document with red underlines, strikethroughs, or margin comments. To clean these up, you need to accept or reject each change. Stay in the Review tab and look for the Accept and Reject buttons.
If you want to accept every change at once, click the small arrow next to Accept and select Accept All Changes. Word will remove all the markup and finalize every edit in one action. If you want to review changes individually, click Accept or Reject for each one as Word highlights them. Use the Next and Previous buttons to move between changes.
Once you accept or reject all changes, the document will look clean with no red markup or comments visible. The edits themselves remain in the document — accepting a change means you are keeping that edit as final.
What to do if Track Changes is grayed out
Sometimes the Track Changes button appears faded or disabled and you cannot click it. This usually means the document is in read-only mode, which prevents any edits or tracking changes. Check the top of the Word window for a message that says "Read-Only" or look for an Edit Document button. Click Edit Document to switch out of read-only mode, and Track Changes will become available.
Another reason Track Changes might be disabled is if the document is protected by another user or by a password. If someone else opened the document and locked it, you cannot change the tracking status until they unlock it. Ask the document owner to remove the protection, or request an unlocked copy of the file.
Track Changes in different versions of Word
The location and appearance of Track Changes is the same in Word 2016, 2019, 2021, and Microsoft 365 — all use the Review tab. In older versions like Word 2010 or 2013, the button is in the same place but may look slightly different. The function works identically: click once to toggle tracking on or off.
If you use Word Online (the browser version), Track Changes works the same way. Click Review, then click Track Changes. The button toggles on and off just like the desktop version. Changes you make in Word Online sync with the desktop version, so tracking status carries over if you switch between them.
Why you might want to keep Track Changes on
Track Changes is useful when multiple people are editing the same document or when you want a record of what changed. If you are collaborating with coworkers, keeping Track Changes on lets everyone see who made each edit and when. You can also use it to experiment with changes and then undo them all at once by rejecting them.
If you are the only person working on a document and you do not need a record of edits, turning it off immediately stops the visual clutter. You can always turn it back on later if you change your mind. There is no penalty for toggling it on and off — Word simply records or stops recording from that point forward.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does turning off Track Changes delete the edits I already made?
No. Turning off Track Changes only stops Word from recording new edits. The changes that were already marked stay in the document until you accept or reject them. You must go through the Accept or Reject process separately to remove the markup.
Can I turn Track Changes back on after I turn it off?
Yes. Click the Review tab and click Track Changes again to turn it back on. Any new edits you make from that point forward will be recorded. Old edits that you already accepted or rejected will not reappear.
What happens if I close the document without accepting changes?
Word will ask you to save the document. If you click Save, the tracked changes stay in the document exactly as they were. The next time you open it, you can still accept or reject them. If you close without saving, any new edits you made since the last save are lost, but previously tracked changes remain.
How do I accept changes from only one person in a document with multiple editors?
Click the small arrow next to Accept and look for filter options. Some versions of Word let you filter changes by author. Select the author you want, then click Accept All Changes. If your version does not have this filter, you will need to go through changes one at a time and accept only the ones from that person.
Can I turn off Track Changes for just part of a document?
No. Track Changes is a document-wide setting. When it is on, all edits are tracked. When it is off, no edits are tracked. You cannot enable it for one section and disable it for another. You can, however, accept or reject changes in specific sections while leaving others marked.