To prevent you from inadvertently distributing documents that contain tracked changes and comments, Word displays tracked changes and comments by default. Final Showing Markup is the default option in the Display for Review box.

You can display all changes in a document in different ways. For example, you can set Microsoft Office Word to display tracked changes by type of edit - such as insertions and deletions or formatting changes. You can also display only the comments. You can turn off balloons for comments and tracked changes to display all comments and changes inline. You can even display only the changes made by the author or by a specific reviewer.

To quickly display tracked changes and comments, click Show Markup in the Tracking group on the Review tab.

Note Clicking Show Markup displays or hides all of the markup for selected reviewers in the document. When you display all markup, all types of markup are selected on the Show Markup menu.What do you want to do?

Display all changes inline

The default in Word is to display deletions and comments in balloons in the margins of the document. However, you can change the display to show comments inline and all deletions with strikethroughs instead of inside balloons.

  1. On the Review tab, in the Tracking group, click Balloons.

    word ribbon image

  2. Click Show all revisions inline to show deletions with strikethroughs and comments inline.

Display changes by type of edit or by reviewer

  1. On the Review tab, in the Tracking group, click the arrow next to Show Markup.

    word ribbon image

  2. Do one of the following:
    • Select the type of change that you want to display.

      Note Even if you hide a type of markup by clearing it on the Show Markup menu, the markup automatically appears each time the document is opened by you or a reviewer.

    • Point to Reviewers, and then click to clear all check boxes except the ones next to the names of the reviewers whose changes and comments you want to show.

      Note To select or clear all check boxes for all reviewers in the list, click All Reviewers.

Display changes and comments for specific reviewers

You can use the Display for Review list, in the Tracking group, to view a document at various stages of the edit process. Each of the four options in the list provides a different view of the document. Final Showing Markup is the default when you open any document.

word ribbon image

Display changes for an editor or other reviewer

An editor or reviewer usually wants to view a document as it will appear after their changes are incorporated. This procedure gives an editor or reviewer the opportunity to see how the document will look with the changes.

Note If you want to see comments and tracked changes in balloons, you must be in Print Layout view or Web Layout view .

Hide tracked changes and comments when printing

Hiding changes does not remove changes from the document. You must use the Accept and Reject commands in the Changes group to remove markup from your document.

  1. Click the Microsoft Office Button button image, and then click Print.
  2. In the Print what box, click Document (instead of Document showing markup).