Definition
Track changes
Track Changes is a Microsoft Word feature that records every edit — insertions, deletions, and formatting changes — as reviewable markup instead of applying it silently. Reviewers can then accept or reject each change.
Track Changes is Word's built-in revision-tracking mode, found on the Review tab. When it is turned on, every edit you make is captured as visible markup: inserted text appears underlined and colored, deleted text is struck through or moved to the margin, and even formatting changes (like a new font or alignment) are logged with a note. Each author's edits get their own color, and reviewers can add comments alongside. The document owner then walks through the changes and clicks Accept or Reject on each one, or accepts them all at once. This makes Track Changes the standard way supervisors, editors, and co-authors collaborate on theses, reports, and contracts without overwriting each other's work or losing the original wording. A practical detail many people miss: leftover tracked changes and comments stay embedded in the file until they are accepted or rejected, so a document can look clean on screen while still carrying hidden markup. When applying formatting fixes, it is worth resolving outstanding tracked changes first so the final layout is what you actually see.
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