How to Track Changes and Use Suggesting Mode in Google Docs

When migrating from Microsoft Office to Google Workspace, one of the most common points of friction for professionals is adapting to a new collaborative environment. In Microsoft Word, the standard method for reviewing a colleague’s work without permanently overwriting their text is the iconic “Track Changes” feature. Google Docs takes a slightly different, more streamlined approach. If you need to edit a contract, review a manuscript, or correct a team proposal, you must learn how to track changes and use Suggesting Mode in Google Docs.

What is Suggesting Mode?

In Google Docs, you operate in one of three distinct modes: Editing, Suggesting, or Viewing.

• Editing Mode: This is the default state. Any keystroke you make immediately and permanently alters the document.
• Viewing Mode: This provides a clean, read-only interface where accidental typos are impossible.
• Suggesting Mode: This is Google’s direct equivalent to Track Changes. When enabled, any text you delete gets crossed out (strikethrough) and highlighted in a specific colour. Any new text you type appears in that same colour. Simultaneously, a comment box automatically appears in the right-hand margin detailing exactly what was changed, allowing the document owner to cleanly accept or reject your edits one by one.

Step-by-Step: How to Enable Suggesting Mode

Before you make a single edit to a document you are reviewing, you must switch your interface out of the default Editing mode.

1. Open the Google Doc you wish to review.
2. Look at the top-right corner of the toolbar, directly below the blue “Share” button. You will see a button with a pencil icon that says Editing.
3. Click on the Editing button.
4. From the drop-down menu, select Suggesting (indicated by a green speech bubble icon).
5. The button will now change to green. You are now safely in Suggesting Mode.

How to Make and Review Suggestions

Once Suggesting Mode is active, behave exactly as you normally would. If you highlight a sentence and press Delete on your keyboard, the sentence will not disappear. Instead, it will be crossed out, and a box will appear in the margin saying “Delete: [text]”. If you type a new word, it will appear in green (or another assigned colour) surrounded by a bracket.

Accepting or Rejecting Edits

If you are the original owner of the document and a colleague has left suggestions for you, processing them is incredibly efficient.

1. Scroll through your document. You will clearly see the colourful suggestions overlaying your original text.
2. Look at the margin on the right side of the page. Each edit corresponds to a specific suggestion box.
3. To approve an edit, click the Checkmark (\u2713) in the suggestion box. The colourful markup will disappear, and the text will permanently integrate into your document.
4. To deny an edit, click the Cross (X). The suggestion will be deleted, and your original text will remain untouched.
5. If you want to discuss an edit before deciding, click inside the suggestion box and type a reply. This creates a threaded conversation directly attached to that specific word or sentence.

How to Accept All Suggestions at Once

If a trusted editor has made fifty minor grammatical corrections and you do not want to click the checkmark fifty times, you can approve them in bulk.

1. Navigate to the top menu bar and click on Tools.
2. Select Review suggested edits.
3. A small dialogue box will appear in the top right of your screen.
4. Click the Accept All button. Alternatively, click the drop-down arrow next to it to select Reject All.

Understanding Version History

Even if someone forgets to turn on Suggesting Mode and accidentally deletes a massive paragraph in standard Editing Mode, do not panic. Google Docs features a robust, automatic backup system.

Simply click on File > Version history > See version history. The right sidebar will display every single save state of the document since its creation. You can click on any previous timestamp to instantly see what the document looked like at that exact moment, allowing you to easily restore the file to a state before the accidental deletion occurred.

By mastering Suggesting Mode and understanding Version History, you can confidently collaborate on complex documents with multiple team members, ensuring that every editorial decision is tracked, discussed, and deliberately approved.