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To turn off Track Changes in Word, launch your document with the app, access the "Review" tab, and select Tracking > Track Changes. If the button is grayed out, you'll need to enter the password the author used to lock the document.

Not every change needs to be tracked in your document. You can disable the Track Changes feature in Microsoft Word even if your document is locked. We'll show you how to do that as well as how to remove existing track changes and print your document with track changes hidden.

Related: How to Copy and Paste Text With Tracked Changes in Word 2013

How to Stop Tracking Changes in Word

To begin disabling Track Changes so your future edits in the document aren't highlighted, launch the Word app and open your document.

When your document opens, in Word's ribbon at the top, select the "Review" tab.

Open the "Review" tab.

On the "Review" tab, select Tracking > Track Changes. This will disable the feature.

Choose Tracking > Track Changes.

What to Do If You Can't Turn Track Changes Off

If "Track Changes" is grayed out and you can't click it, your document's author has locked the feature. In this case, you'll need the password (if one was set up) that was used to lock the feature to unlock it.

A grayed out "Track Changes" option.

Once you've obtained the password, in Word's "Review" tab, click "Tracking" and choose the down-arrow icon next to "Track Changes."

Select the down-arrow icon next to "Track Changes."

In the open menu, select "Lock Tracking."

Choose "Lock Tracking" in the menu.

On the "Unlock Tracking" window, enter your password and select "OK."

Enter the password and select "OK."

To now turn off the feature, select Tracking > Track Changes.

Select Tracking > Track Changes.

And that's it. The feature is now disabled.

You can confirm that by making an edit to your document. You'll find that Word no longer records and highlights your changes.

How to Remove Existing Track Changes in Word

If you'd like to get rid of all the existing tracked changes, then either accept or reject all those changes. You can do this by accessing Word's "Review" tab and choosing Accept > Accept All Changes or Reject > Reject All Changes.

Accept or reject document changes.

Remember that accepting all changes makes all suggested changes become permanent, and rejecting all changes means all suggestions will disappear. If you accidentally chose the wrong option, use Ctrl+Z to undo your mistake.

Related: How to Use Outline View in Microsoft Word

If you'd like to keep your tracked changes but you don't want to see them when you print the document, configure your print options as follows.

First, launch your document with Word. Then, in the app's top-left corner, click "File."

Select "File" in the top-left corner.

In the left sidebar, click "Print." Then, in the middle column, select "Print All Pages."

Choose Print > Print All Pages.

In the open menu, disable the "Print Markup" option.

Deselect "Print Markup."

You can now print your document and it won't include your tracked changes. You're all set.

Related: How to Use Microsoft Word's Compare Feature