Track Changes function behaving differently

Timothy Sayles 40 Reputation points
2026-09-15T16:41:26.04+00:00

In the Word app of Microsoft 36, the track changes function is suddenly behaving differently. I'm on a MacBook Pro running Tahoe 26.6.2 and all my apps are up to date. An example of the different behavior: When I go to change a word or sentence, instead of putting the change in colored type and showing the deleted text in a sidebar, it keeps the deleted text but with colored type and strikeout.

Microsoft 365 and Office | Word | Other | MacOS
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Answer accepted by question author
Norah-L 10,820 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
2026-09-16T03:45:29.17+00:00

Hello Timothy Sayles,

Please try the steps in the AI-generated answer first, particularly the balloon and layout settings, as these control whether deleted text appears inline or in the document margin.

If the behavior continues, test Track Changes in a new blank document and make a small edit. If changes display normally there, the original document may contain a damaged or incompatible setting.

In that case, save a backup first, then copy the document’s content, except the final paragraph mark, into a new blank document and save it as a new .docx file.

As another workaround, open Review > Reviewing Pane and choose Vertical. This provides a separate list of insertions and deletions even when deleted text remains crossed out in the document.

Also check whether the document is protected under Review > Protect Document, since protection can prevent some tracking options from being changed. You can compare the file in Word for the web as well. If the web version displays it correctly, the issue is likely limited to the Mac app. If it happens in every document, contact Microsoft Support or submit feedback from Word.

Please let me know how it goes after trying these steps, and I'll be glad to continue looking into it with you.

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Answer accepted by question author

AI answer

2026-09-15T16:41:40.75+00:00

That behavior usually means Word is showing revisions inline instead of in balloons.

To change it on Word for Mac:

  1. Open the document.
  2. Go to the Review tab.
  3. Make sure the display is set to All Markup.
  4. Select Show Markup > Balloons.
  5. Choose Show Revisions in Balloons.

If Word is set to Show All Revisions Inline, deletions appear in the document as colored strikethrough text instead of in the margin.

Also check these related settings:

  • Review > Show Markup > confirm Insertions and Deletions is selected.
  • If balloons still do not appear, make sure the document is in Print Layout or Web Layout view, because balloons require one of those views.

If the goal is to keep the current inline style, that is expected behavior for inline revisions. If the goal is to restore the older margin/sidebar behavior, switching back to Show Revisions in Balloons should do it.

AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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