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Microsoft Word Track Changes Tutorial

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In the dynamic landscape of publishing, Microsoft Word's Track Changes stands as an indispensable tool, ushering authors and editors into a realm of seamless collaboration. For those venturing into this essential program, rest assured—it's a user-friendly journey that enhances the collaborative editing experience! Most of the time, writers I've worked with that were unfamiliar with the platform figured it out in a breeze.

 

Microsoft Word's Track Changes feature is useful for collaborative editing and reviewing documents, allowing multiple users to work on the same document while keeping track of all modifications and comments. This is a safeguard for both the writer and the editor, so we can see exactly when changes were made and who made them. For your convenience, I've crafted a concise resource guide below to navigate this invaluable tool effortlessly!

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Please note that this tutorial is best viewed on a computer, and mobile devices may crop the photos provided.

Turning on Track Changes:

  1. Open your Document: Launch Microsoft Word and open the document you want to edit.

  2. Enable Track Changes: Go to the "Review" tab on the Word toolbar.

  3. Click "Track Changes": In the "Review" tab, click on the "Track Changes" button. Once enabled, any changes you make to the document will be tracked.

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Making Edits with Track Changes On:

  1. Edit the Document: Make changes to the text, formatting, or any other content in the document. The changes will appear in a different colour, along with the author's name, indicating who made the edits.

  2. Insert Comments: To provide explanations or comments on specific changes, select the text, right-click, and choose "New Comment." Type your comment in the comment pane that appears on the right side of the document.

  3. Accept or Reject Changes: As the document owner or collaborator, you can accept or reject changes. To do this, go to the "Review" tab, where you'll find options like "Accept" or "Reject" to manage individual changes or use "Accept All" or "Reject All" to apply changes throughout the document.

  4. Viewing Changes: You can toggle between viewing the final document (without markup) and the document with tracked changes. Go to the "Review" tab and use the "Track Changes" drop-down menu to choose between different viewing options like "No Markup," "Simple Markup," "All Markup," and "Original."

  5. Track Changes Options: Under the "Review" tab, click on "Track Changes" and select "Markup Options > Preferences" to customize settings such as colours used for different reviewers, whether to track formatting changes, and more.

Finalizing the Document:

  1. Accepting or Rejecting All Changes: Once you're satisfied with the changes, go to the "Review > Changes" tab and use "Accept All Changes" or "Reject All Changes" to implement or discard all tracked changes in the document.

  2. Turning Off Track Changes: To disable the Track Changes feature, simply click on the "Track Changes" button again in the "Review" tab to toggle it off.

  3. Don’t Forget to Save: Remember to save your document periodically to retain the changes made.

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