How to Track Changes in a SharePoint Document
Track Changes shows every edit, insertion, and deletion. It’s the standard tool for formal review when accountability matters.
What it is
Track Changes is one of Word’s oldest and most useful features. Turn it on, and every edit you (or anyone else) make is recorded visibly in the document — insertions appear underlined, deletions appear struck-through, formatting changes are flagged, and every change is attributed to the person who made it. The document becomes both the work and the record of how it got there.
For everyday collaboration, Track Changes is overkill — co-authoring and comments handle most needs. But for formal review processes — contracts, policies, controlled documents, anything where accountability matters — Track Changes is the standard. It gives reviewers a clear view of what’s being proposed, lets them accept or reject changes individually, and produces a clean final version that captures every approved edit.
The thing to know about Track Changes: it works best when everyone agrees to use it. If half the team has it on and half doesn’t, you get a messy document where some changes are tracked and others silently overwrite. Agree on the workflow before the review starts.
When to use this
- When a document is going through formal review (contracts, policies, procedures).
- When multiple reviewers will edit the same document and you need to see who proposed what.
- When you need an audit trail of every edit, not just version-level history.
- When you’re working with external lawyers, auditors, or reviewers who expect Track Changes.
How to do it
- Open the document in Word.
- Go to the Review tab.
- Click Track Changes (it’s a toggle — it stays on until turned off).
- Make edits as normal — every change is recorded.
- Use Comments alongside changes for context and discussion.
- Switch view between Simple Markup (clean view) and All Markup (every change visible).
- When ready, save and share the document — recipients see your changes.
- Accept or reject changes (see L-17) when the review is complete.
Best practices
- Turn it on before edits start. Edits made before Track Changes is on aren’t tracked.
- Use Comments for discussion, Track Changes for edits. Different tools, different jobs.
- Agree on the workflow upfront. Who reviews, who accepts, who finalises.
- Save a clean final version. Once changes are accepted, save a version with all markup removed.
Common mistakes
- Sending a document with Track Changes left on accidentally. Recipients see your editing history, including changes you might not want exposed. Always check before sending.
- Half the team using Track Changes, half not. Confuses the audit trail.
- Accepting all changes blindly. The whole point of Track Changes is review. Read each one.
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How do I turn on Track Changes in a SharePoint Word document?
Open the document in Word. Click Review -> Track Changes. The button turns blue when active. From that point, every edit shows in coloured markup with the editor’s name. Save back to SharePoint. Anyone opening it sees the same markup — track changes is part of the document, not a Word setting.
Does Track Changes work with SharePoint co-authoring?
Yes — Track Changes works during co-authoring in Word for the web and desktop. Multiple editors can make tracked changes simultaneously; each person’s edits show in a different colour. Useful for review workflows where you want a clear record of who suggested what.
Is Track Changes the same as SharePoint Version History?
No — they’re different layers. Track Changes records edits within a single version of the document, attributable to specific editors. Version History saves snapshots of the whole document over time. Use Track Changes for review cycles; Version History for the overall change record.
Should I use Track Changes or comments in SharePoint Word?
Track Changes for direct edits you want the original author to accept or reject. Comments for suggestions, questions, or feedback that doesn’t modify the text. Most professional review workflows use both: comments for big-picture feedback, tracked changes for line edits.