Collaborating on a document with multiple people can quickly become chaotic if you do not have a system for tracking edits. Microsoft Word’s “Track Changes” feature is an essential tool for editors and teams, allowing you to see exactly what has been added, deleted, or modified. Combined with the ability to add comments, it streamlines the review process significantly.
How to Enable Track Changes
Before you or anyone else begins editing a document, you should turn on Track Changes so all modifications are recorded.
- Open your document in Microsoft Word.
- Navigate to the Review tab located on the top ribbon.
- In the Tracking group, click the Track Changes button to turn it on (it will highlight to show it is active).
Once enabled, any text you delete will appear with a strikethrough (e.g., deleted text), and any new text you add will be underlined and displayed in a different colour. You can customise how these changes appear by clicking the Display for Review dropdown menu next to the Track Changes button.
How to Add and Reply to Comments
Sometimes you need to ask a question or provide context rather than making a direct edit. This is where comments come in handy.
- Highlight the specific word, sentence, or paragraph you want to comment on.
- Under the Review tab, click on New Comment.
- A comment bubble will appear in the right-hand margin. Type your feedback or question here.
- If you are reviewing someone else’s comment, you can click the Reply button within their comment bubble to create a threaded conversation.
By mastering Track Changes and Comments, you will make collaborative writing and document editing much smoother and more professional.
