The track changes function in Microsoft Word is a valuable tool for those working in a collaborative environment, allowing users to track changes made to a document. This function is especially useful for writers, editors, teachers, and anyone who needs to review or edit a document. Let's learn how to use this function step by step.
First, open the Word document you want to review. Go to the "Review" tab in the top toolbar. Locate and click the "Track Changes" button. Once enabled, all changes made to the document will be tracked. Changes include additions, deletions, text moves, and formatting. Additions are indicated with an underline, deletions are indicated with a strikethrough, and text moves are shown in a different color.
To see the changes, click the "Show for Review" button in the "Review" tab. There are four display options: "Final showing markup", "Final", "Original showing markup" and "Original". "Final showing markup" shows the document with all changes. "Final" shows the document as it will look if all changes are accepted. "Original showing markup" shows the original document with the changes marked. "Original" shows the original document without changes.
When reviewing changes, you can accept or reject each change individually or all changes at once. To accept or reject a change, click the change and then click "Accept" or "Reject" on the "Review" tab. To accept or reject all changes at once, click "Accept All Changes" or "Reject All Changes" on the "Review" tab.
You can also add comments to a document. To add a comment, select the text you want to add a comment to, go to the "Review" tab, click "New Comment" and type your comment. Comments appear in the margin of the document and are indicated by a text bubble.
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Additionally, you can compare two versions of a document to see the differences. To do this, go to the "Review" tab, click "Compare" and then "Compare..." or "Combine...". Select the two documents you want to compare and click "OK". Word will show the differences between the two documents.
Finally, you can protect your document so that changes cannot be made without your permission. To do this, go to the "Reviews" tab, click "Restrict Editing", check the box "Allow only this type of editing in the document", select "Revisions with change tracking" from the drop-down menu and click "Yes, Apply Protection." You can set a password to unprotect the document.
In summary, the track changes function in Word is a powerful tool for tracking and reviewing changes to a document. With this function, you can work more efficiently and effectively in a collaborative environment.
