Full transcript
Introduction
0:00Hello, my name is Erin.
0:03This tutorial shows how to use Track Changes in Microsoft Word.
0:08Track Changes helps us edit documents by tracking insertions, deletions, replacements, and format changes.
0:16Word calls these edits markups.
0:19This tutorial also includes an overview of Word’s new Modern comment tool.
0:25We will cover nine topics.
0:27How to turn Track Changes on and off.
0:30Show and hide Track Changes.
0:33Delete, insert, and replace text with Track Changes.
0:37Change formatting with Track Changes.
0:40Accept or reject Track Changes.
0:44Insert comments.
0:46Reply to and resolve comments.
0:49Delete comments.
0:50And, open and close the Reviewing Pane.
0:54There are multiple ways to perform each of these tasks.
0:58To conserve time, we’ll focus on the methods I believe are the most useful for the majority of users.
1:05Today I will be using Word for Microsoft 365.
1:10If you are using an older, single-purchase version of the software,
1:14please see one of my previous Track Changes tutorials, which are linked in the description box below.
How to Turn Track Changes On and Off
1:23To turn on Track Changes, select the Review tab in the ribbon.
1:28Then, select the Track Changes button in the Tracking group.
1:32The button will appear darker than the rest of the ribbon when tracking is on.
1:37When you are ready to turn Track Changes off, reselect the Track Changes button.
1:44You may notice that turning off Track Changes does not hide or remove existing tracking.
1:51It just means that the software will stop tracking future changes.
1:56I’m going to turn my Track Changes back on to complete the tutorial.
How to Show and Hide Track Changes
2:03To choose how edits and comments are displayed, select the Display for Review drop-down menu.
2:10Simple Markup displays the edited version of the document without visible in-line edits.
2:18However, edits are indicated by a vertical line in the left margin.
2:23If you want to see an edit, select the vertical line to switch to All Markup.
2:29All Markup displays all edits and comments.
2:33A vertical line, like the one shown in Simple Markup, will appear on the left side of the screen
2:39indicating that a change was made in that location.
2:43Select that line to switch back to Simple Markup.
2:47By default, comments will always appear in balloons on the right side of the text
2:52in the Simple Markup and All Markup views.
2:57No Markup displays the edited version of the content without any visible edits or comments.
3:04And Original displays the original version of the content without any edits or comments.
3:12To choose what features Track Changes displays, select the Show Markup drop-down menu.
3:18Note that this menu is called Markup Options in Word for Mac.
3:24I recommend showing markups for Insertions and Deletions
3:28and Formatting
3:30as well as choosing Show Only Formatting in Balloons
3:33so that your insertions and deletions will appear in the text and formatting changes will appear next to the text.
3:41Lastly, you can choose Specific People if you are working with multiple reviewers
3:47but want to limit tracking to specific people.
3:51Please note that I will be using the All Markup view for the remainder of this tutorial.
3:57In addition, I will stay in the Review tab.
How to Delete, Insert, and Replace Text with Track Changes
4:04To delete text, select the text and then press the Delete key on your keyboard.
4:10The deleted text will appear with a strikethrough.
4:15To insert text, place your cursor where the text should appear
4:20and then type the new text.
4:23The insertion will appear with an underline.
4:26To replace text, select the text and then type the replacement.
4:32The original text will appear with a strikethrough, and the replacement text will appear with an underline.
How to Change Formatting with Track Changes
How to Accept or Reject Track Changes
5:05Edits created with Track Changes must be accepted before they become part of your document.
5:11You can accept or reject edits individually or all at once.
5:16To accept or reject an individual edit,
5:20click on it or select it.
5:22And then select the Accept or Reject button in the Changes group.
5:27You can also use the Previous and Next buttons to navigate through all the edits in the document
5:33without accepting or rejecting anything.
5:36Now we’ll look at how to accept or reject all edits.
5:40Unless you are very confident in your reviewers’ expertise,
5:44I strongly caution against doing this without first checking the accuracy of the edits.
5:50To begin, select the Accept or Reject menu arrow in the Changes group.
5:57From there, select Accept or Reject All Changes
6:01or Accept or Reject All Changes and Stop Tracking.
How to Insert Comments
6:09This section covers the basics of using Modern comments in Word.
6:14For a more in-depth look, please see my previous tutorial “How to Use Comments in Microsoft Word.”
6:21Note that you can use the Comment tool with Track Changes turned on or turned off.
6:27To begin, place your cursor near the text you want to comment on or select the text.
6:34Next, select the New Comment button in the Comments group.
6:39Now, type your comment into the Start a conversation text box on the right side of the screen.
6:46If you are part of an organization, you may be able to @ mention other users in your comments.
6:54I have linked to a Microsoft support article in the description box below
6:58for those who would like to learn more about that feature.
7:02When you’re finished, select the Post button
7:06or type the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + Enter on a PC or Command + Return on a Mac to post the comment.
7:16If you need to edit your comment later on, select the pencil icon on the PC or the Edit button on a Mac.
How to Reply to and Resolve Comments
7:28To reply to a comment, type your response into the Reply text box in the other person’s comment.
7:35And then once again select the Post button
7:39or type the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + Enter on a PC or Command + Return on a Mac.
7:47You can mark a comment as “Resolved” to tell other people or remind yourself that an issue has been taken care of.
7:55To do so, select the three-dot menu in the comment.
8:00Followed by Resolve thread from the drop-down menu.
8:04The comment will no longer be visible in the contextual view on the right side of the screen.
8:10You can also reopen a resolved comment, thereby turning it back to a regular comment.
8:17To begin, select the Show Comments menu arrow.
8:22And from there, select List to show all comments in the Comments pane.
8:29Next, select the Reopen button in the comment.
How to Delete Comments
8:45To delete a comment, select the three-dot menu in the comment
8:49and then select Delete thread from the drop-down menu.
8:55Alternatively, you can place your cursor in the comment or the text connected to the comment
9:01and then select the Delete menu arrow in the Review tab.
9:06From there, choose Delete to delete the current comment,
9:09or Delete All Comments in Document, or Delete All Resolved Comments.
How to Open and Close the Reviewing Pane
9:19To open the Reviewing Pane, select the Reviewing Pane button in the Tracking group.
9:25The Reviewing Pane, which is labeled Revisions, shows all the comments and edits selected in the Show Markup drop-down,
9:33along with the total number of those comments and markups in the document.
9:38The Reviewing Pane isn’t necessary for using Track Changes,
9:42but it can be helpful when you need to find a specific edit
9:46or want to see how many edits or comments are in the document.
9:50The Reviewing Pane will normally appear on the left side of your screen.
9:55However, you can select the Reviewing Pane menu arrow and select Reviewing Pane Horizontal, if you prefer.
10:04When you’re finished, select the Reviewing Pane button again to close the pane.
10:10And as always, remember to save your file to save your changes.
10:16For many more Microsoft Word tutorials, please see my playlist “How to Use Microsoft Word”
10:22which is linked in the description box below along with my website erinwrightwriting.com,
10:29which shows all the steps we just performed with images.
10:33Feel free to leave me a comment if there’s a specific topic that you would like me to talk about in the future.
10:40And please subscribe to my channel so you don’t miss upcoming tutorials.
10:44And give this video a thumbs-up if you found it helpful.
10:49Thank you so much for watching!
10:52[Typewriter sounds]