Track Changes in Microsoft Word

TRACK CHANGES

In Microsoft Word there is an option available called track changes. This is most helpful for the times when you write something (a school paper, a book, an article, your Christmas letter) and you want someone to proofread it for you. It allows the proofreader to make changes like crossing out or adding words and put comments on your document without really changing anything.

When they return it to you there are red marks that need to be approved or rejected. It allows you to stay in control of the document while also getting feedback from someone else.

Let's look at it step by step.

1. I am starting with a document that I copied from the internet somewhere.
2. I have to turn Track Changes on.
3. I am going to put all of the different types of edits into the document so you can see what it looks like.
4. You can see that everything is marked in Green or red and on the side there is an explanation of what was changed.
5. Now, you as the author can choose which changes to keep and which to reject. First open the ribbon called Review and look for Accept/Reject.
6. Now you can click on each one of these changes and choose Accept or Reject. If it is marked Accept the change is made. If you choose Reject the mark goes away and the text returns to normal. There is a small red mark on the left side that shows where a change has been made. If you think you are done, but there are still lines on the right side click on the line to see what is changed.

Like everything else it makes more sense when you do it. If you are interested why not take a piece of text and try it out?