There are macro-based approaches you can follow, if you desire. The downside to this is that you'll need to do it on all documents you receive from others, now and forever. The result of these steps is that you'll only see in the document all of the changes except formatting changes-just as you want. Make sure all the check boxes are selected.Again, click the Show Markup drop-down list.(Don't select Accept All Changes in Document that would accept all the changes whether they are shown or not.) All the formatting changes (which is all that are shown because of step 3) are accepted. Word displays some different ways you can accept changes.
Click the down-arrow under the Accept tool, in the Changes group.Word displays a list of categories of changes that it can show. In the Tracking group, click on the Show Markup drop-down list.You can get rid of just the tracked formatting by following these steps: This is necessary, again, be because you have no control over how that person's system is configured. The third thing you need to do is to get rid of any tracked formatting changes that may appear when you receive a document from someone else. (The change you made to the Normal template won't affect any previously created documents it only affects new documents created after you make the change.) Obviously, this step may take a while to do if you have quite a few documents. The second thing you need to do is to open any existing documents and make sure the setting is turned off for those documents. (This only applies, of course, if your version of Word doesn't reset the Track Formatting check box when you turn Track Changes on and off.) Once you make the change and save the Normal template, any future documents you create that are based on that template won't track formatting changes when Track Changes is turned on. First, you need to open your Normal template and clear the Track Formatting check box within it. In my experience, you need to undertake a three-pronged approach. Thus, if the change is persistent for documents on your system, once you send the document off to someone else and if they use a different version of Word, you may get back a document that has the setting turned back on and all formatting changes are marked. Still others say that the change will reset if you turn Track Changes off and then turn it on again.įrom what I've been able to determine, the persistence of this setting will vary based on the version of Word you are using. Some people say that the change will travel with the document others say that it doesn't. The problem is that making this setting isn't always sticky. The Advanced Track Changes Options dialog box in Word 2016. Word displays the Advanced Track Changes Options dialog box. Word displays the Tracking group options. Click OK to close the Track Changes Options dialog box.įinally, if you are using Word 2016 or a later version of the program (including the version provided with Office 365), follow these steps:.Click OK to close the Advanced Track Changes Options dialog box.The Advanced Track Changes Options dialog box in Word 2013. Word displays the Track Changes Options dialog box. Click the small icon at the lower-right corner of the Tracking group.
If you are using Word 2013, follow these steps instead: Click the down-arrow under the Track Changes tool (in the Tracking group) and then click Change Tracking Options.Make sure the Review tab of the ribbon is displayed.To turn off the tracking of formatting, you would follow these steps if you are using Word 2007 or Word 2010: How you adjust the categories of changes that Word tracks varies based on the version of Word you are using. This is what Martha does-she turns off one specific category of changes (formatting) so that Word doesn't track those it only tracks other types of changes. Fortunately, you can control the types of changes that Word actually tracks. One category of changes it can track are changes to formatting. When you turn on Track Changes in Word, the program tracks lots of changes you make. Martha wonders if there is a way she can turn off the tracking of formatting changes forever.
(He doesn't want simple formatting changes to be tracked.) Plus, when he passes the document to a client (via email), if they don't know how to turn off the tracking of formatting changes, the returned document is always full of tracked formatting changes. He is annoyed by having to turn track formatting off all the time. Martha works for an attorney who uses Track Changes a lot when working with clients.