Track Changes not holding when Word doc closed and reopened.

SQH Edits 0 Reputation points
2026-07-14T17:31:08.2+00:00

A version of a work document I in which I have turned on "Track Changes" keeps reopening without "Track Changes" turned on. I have never experienced this before. Why is the setting not holding? It also opens with "viewing" in the upper right corner and I have to toggle to "editing".,

Microsoft 365 and Office | Word | For business | MacOS
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  1. Hendrix-C 19,985 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-07-14T18:37:15.3633333+00:00

    Hi SQH Edits,

    Based on your sharing, the "Viewing" mode is likely the cause of the issue. In Word, there is a document switcher mode in the top-right including 3 modes:

    • Viewing: a read-only mode, no revisions are allowed
    • Reviewing: enable adding comments and suggest revisions. Also automatically turns on Track Changes Just Mine
    • Editing: give full editing access if you have permission

    If you need to force Track Changes to stay on, you can lock tracking by going to Review > Protect Documents > Protect document for Tracked changes and add a password if needed.

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    Also, you must disable "Always Open Read-Only" option since it always reopens the document in Viewing mode which prevents Track Changes from recording revisions. If the document was shared with you and it still reopens with Viewing mode, you may need to save a copy or ask the owner/sender to grant you the correct permission.

    Hope this information would be helpful for your concern. If you have any other questions, please feel free to reach out again in the comments on this post. I'm happy to assist you further.

    Thank you for your understanding and cooperation. I'm looking forward to your reply.

    If the answer is helpful, please click "Yes" and kindly upvote it.

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