Objective:
Explains how to enable, use, and manage Track Changes in Microsoft Word on a Mac to review and edit documents collaboratively.
Steps:
Step 1: Enable Track Changes
Open Your Document:
- Launch Microsoft Word from your Applications folder or Dock and open the document where you want to use Track Changes.
Go to the Review Tab:
- In the top toolbar, click on the Review tab.
- In the top toolbar, click on the Review tab.
Enable Track Changes:
- Click the Track Changes button in the Review tab. Once enabled, Word will track all edits, deletions, and formatting changes.
- Click the Track Changes button in the Review tab. Once enabled, Word will track all edits, deletions, and formatting changes.
Verify Track Changes Is Active:
- When Track Changes is active, the button will be highlighted, and all changes will appear in redline format by default.
- When Track Changes is active, the button will be highlighted, and all changes will appear in redline format by default.
Step 2: Make Edits with Track Changes
Edit the Text:
- Add, delete, or modify text in the document. Changes will be marked:
- Insertions: Underlined and displayed in a different colour.
- Deletions: Shown as deleted in the margin.
- Add, delete, or modify text in the document. Changes will be marked:
Add Comments:
- Highlight a section of text, then click New Comment in the Review tab to add feedback. Comments will appear in the right margin.
- Highlight a section of text, then click New Comment in the Review tab to add feedback. Comments will appear in the right margin.
Change Viewing Options:
- Click the Markup drop-down menu in the Review tab to choose how changes are displayed:
- Simple Markup: Shows the final document with changes marked by a vertical line in the margin.
- All Markup: Displays all changes with detailed redlines and balloons.
- No Markup: Shows the document without visible edits.
- Original: Displays the document as it was before any changes.
- Click the Markup drop-down menu in the Review tab to choose how changes are displayed:
Step 3: Accept or Reject Changes
Navigate to Each Change:
- In the Review tab, use the Next and Previous buttons in the Changes group to move between tracked changes.
- In the Review tab, use the Next and Previous buttons in the Changes group to move between tracked changes.
Accept or Reject a Change:
- Click Accept to incorporate the change into the document or Reject to discard it. Both options will move you to the next tracked change.
- Click Accept to incorporate the change into the document or Reject to discard it. Both options will move you to the next tracked change.
Accept or Reject All Changes:
- If you want to accept or reject all changes at once, click the drop-down arrow next to Accept or Reject, and select Accept All Changes or Reject All Changes.
- If you want to accept or reject all changes at once, click the drop-down arrow next to Accept or Reject, and select Accept All Changes or Reject All Changes.
Step 4: Turn Off Track Changes
Disable Track Changes:
- To stop tracking changes, click the Track Changes button in the Review tab to turn it off. Word will no longer record edits, but previously tracked changes will remain in the document.
- To stop tracking changes, click the Track Changes button in the Review tab to turn it off. Word will no longer record edits, but previously tracked changes will remain in the document.
Remove All Tracked Changes:
- Ensure all changes are accepted or rejected before finalising the document. Any remaining tracked changes will still be visible to others.
- Ensure all changes are accepted or rejected before finalising the document. Any remaining tracked changes will still be visible to others.
Tips:
- Use Protect Document (under the Tools menu) to prevent unauthorised changes to a document with tracked edits.
- Set a different colour for your changes by navigating to Word > Preferences > Track Changes.