To turn off Track Changes in Word, go to the Review tab and select Track Changes so it is no longer highlighted. In Word for the web, choose Review > Track Changes > Off. The keyboard shortcut is Ctrl+Shift+E on Windows and Command+Shift+E on a Mac. Turning tracking off only stops Word from marking new edits. Changes that were already tracked stay in the file until you accept or reject them.
Turn off Track Changes in Word for Windows
- Open the document in Word.
- Select the Review tab.
- In the Tracking group, look at the Track Changes button. If it is shaded, tracking is on.
- Select the Track Changes button once. The shading disappears, which means tracking is off.
- Type a word as a test. If it appears in normal text with no colored underline, Word has stopped tracking.
If you select the small arrow under the button instead, you will see For Everyone, Just Mine, and Lock Tracking. Those choices control how tracking works while it is on. To switch it off, select the main part of the button, not an item in that list.
Microsoft 365 also shows a mode button near the top-right corner of the window. If it says Reviewing, Word records every edit as a suggestion. Switch it to Editing if you want to make direct edits and have permission to do so.
Turn off Track Changes in Word for Mac
- Open the document and select the Review tab.
- Find the Track Changes control. Depending on your version, it is a switch or a button.
- Turn the switch off, or select the button so it is no longer highlighted.
You can also press Command+Shift+E. Because the same shortcut turns tracking back on, glance at the Review tab afterward to confirm the state.
Turn off Track Changes in Word for the web
- Open the document in your browser and select the Review tab.
- Select the Track Changes drop-down arrow.
- Choose Off.
Also check the mode menu near the top-right of the page. Reviewing mode keeps every edit as a tracked suggestion, so pick Editing to type changes directly. If Editing is unavailable, the file was probably shared with you for review only.
Turn off Track Changes on iPhone, iPad, or Android
- iPad: Tap the Review tab, tap the Track Changes button, and turn tracking off.
- iPhone and Android phones: Tap the … (more) button to open the ribbon, tap Home and switch to Review, then scroll to Track Changes and turn the toggle off.
The setting is saved with the document, so the next person who opens the file sees tracking in the same state you left it.
Why red and underlined edits are still showing
Turning off Track Changes does not delete or approve anything that was tracked earlier. Insertions stay underlined and deletions stay struck through until someone accepts or rejects them. Saving or closing the file does not change that.
To clear existing edits, work through them on the Review tab:
- Select Next to jump to the first tracked change.
- Choose Accept to keep it as normal text, or Reject to undo it. Accepting a deletion removes the words. Rejecting it puts them back.
- Repeat until Word tells you there are no more changes.
When you are sure every remaining change should stay, open the Accept drop-down and choose Accept All Changes and Stop Tracking. That finalizes the document and turns tracking off in one step. The Reject menu has a matching option. Our guide on how to remove track changes in Word covers accepting and rejecting in more detail.
Hiding markup is not the same as removing it
The display menu on the Review tab offers Simple Markup, All Markup, No Markup, and Original. Picking No Markup makes the page look clean on your screen, but the tracked changes are still stored in the file. Anyone who opens it can switch the view back and read them. See how to view track changes in Word for what each view shows.
Track only your edits instead of turning it off
If you are collaborating and still want a record, you may not need to switch tracking off at all. Open the Track Changes drop-down and choose Just Mine to record only your edits, or For Everyone to record every person’s edits. Neither option clears revisions already in the file. Agree on the approach with your co-authors so suggestions don’t get mixed into final text without anyone noticing.
When Track Changes won’t turn off
- Lock Tracking is on. Someone chose Review > Track Changes > Lock Tracking and set a password. Select Lock Tracking again and enter the password to unlock it. Without the password, ask the person who locked it.
- Editing is restricted to tracked changes. In Word for Windows, check Review > Restrict Editing. If the restriction is set to Tracked changes, the owner has to select Stop Protection before tracking can be turned off.
- The file was shared for review. Microsoft notes that you may not be able to turn off tracking in a document shared with you for review. Ask the owner for edit access or an editable copy.
- You are in Reviewing mode. Switch the mode menu to Editing, as described above.
- The file is read-only. Save a copy with a new name, then change the setting in the copy.
Treat a locked or grayed-out control as a sign that the owner wants edits tracked. Work with them rather than trying to get around the setting.
If the marks aren’t tracked changes at all
- Colored or struck-through text that won’t accept: It may be ordinary formatting, such as manual strikethrough, font color, or highlighting. Check the Home tab formatting.
- Balloons in the margin: These are often comments, not edits. Accepting all changes does not remove comments. See how to remove comments from a Word document.
- Red wavy lines under words: Those are spelling flags from the editor, not tracked changes.
- A vertical line in the left margin: This marks a line that contains a tracked change. Find and accept or reject that change to clear it.
If the crossed-out text is ordinary font formatting, these steps to remove strikethrough in Word will clear it.
Check the final copy before you send it
- Save a copy of the finished document.
- Close it and open it again.
- On the Review tab, choose All Markup and confirm that Next finds no more changes or comments.
- For confidential files, run File > Info > Check for Issues > Inspect Document on the copy to find leftover revisions and comments.
Our guide to saving a Word document without markup walks through the full clean-up. If you only need a clean printout, you can print without markup, but that does not remove anything from the file itself.
Frequently asked questions
Does turning off Track Changes delete my edits?
No. Your text stays exactly as it is. Earlier tracked edits keep their markup, and new edits simply appear as normal text.
Why does Track Changes keep turning back on?
Tracking is saved with each document. A collaborator may have turned it on again, the file may be locked or restricted to tracked changes, or you may be in Reviewing mode. Check each of those settings.
What is the shortcut to turn off Track Changes?
Press Ctrl+Shift+E on Windows or Command+Shift+E on a Mac. The same keys switch tracking on and off.
How do I turn Track Changes back on later?
Repeat the same steps. For a full walkthrough of tracking edits, read how to track changes in Word. Microsoft’s Track Changes guide lists the steps for every version.
Matt has been writing about Microsoft Windows and other Microsoft products since the days of Windows XP. He spends much of his time writing for sites like WindowBrain.com