Word: Track Changes and Comments

Summary

The video explains how to use Word's Track Changes and Comments features to proofread documents electronically, similar to marking edits with a red pen. It covers turning on Track Changes, marking edits like deleted or added text, adding comments, and how to accept or reject changes. It also demonstrates hiding markup for a cleaner view and comparing document versions when Track Changes wasn't enabled. These tools simplify collaboration by tracking revisions and feedback, helping teams, friends, or co-workers work together efficiently on the same document.

Takeaways

• ✏️ Track Changes in Word allows you to make edits that are visible as markup, like deletions being crossed out and additions underlined.
• 💬 You can add comments in the margins by selecting text and clicking the New Comment command.
• ✅ The original author can accept or reject changes made by others to finalize the document.
• 🖱️ You can accept or reject individual changes or choose to handle all changes at once.
• 🗑️ Comments can be removed by selecting them and clicking the Delete command, either one by one or all at once.
• 🔍 You can change the way markup appears by using the Show Markup and Balloons options, making revisions easier to read.
• 👁️ Hiding the markup (No Markup view) lets you see the final draft, but doesn't accept the changes.
• 📄 If changes were made without Track Changes enabled, you can compare two versions of a document using the Compare feature.
• ⚖️ The Compare feature highlights differences between the original and revised documents, showing changes as if Track Changes were on.
• 🤝 Track Changes and Comments help make document collaboration easier, ensuring revisions and feedback are clearly visible.

Q & A

What is the purpose of the 'Track Changes' feature in Word?

The 'Track Changes' feature allows users to make edits to a document that appear as 'markup' so that the original author can review and accept or reject the changes before finalizing the document.

How do changes appear when 'Track Changes' is enabled in Word?

When 'Track Changes' is enabled, deleted text is crossed out, and added text is underlined, allowing the document owner to see the modifications.

How can comments be added to a document in Word?

To add comments, select the text you want to comment on and click the 'New Comment' command. The comment will appear in the margins.

What options does the original author have after reviewing changes?

The original author can either accept the changes to make them permanent or reject them to revert to the original text.

Can you accept or reject multiple changes at once?

Yes, Word allows you to accept or reject individual changes or all changes in the document at once using the 'Accept' or 'Reject' commands.

How can comments be deleted in Word?

To delete comments, select the comment box and click the 'Delete' command. You can delete individual comments or all comments at once.

What is the benefit of using the 'Show Revisions in Balloons' option?

The 'Show Revisions in Balloons' option moves many changes to the right-hand margin, making the document easier to read by reducing clutter in the text.

How can you temporarily hide all markup in a Word document?

You can temporarily hide all markup by selecting the 'No Markup' option in the menu. This shows the final version without visible changes, but the changes still need to be accepted or rejected.

What should you be careful about when hiding markup in a document?

Hiding markup is not the same as accepting changes. You still need to go through the process of accepting or rejecting the changes before sending the final version of the document.

What does the 'Compare' feature in Word do?

The 'Compare' feature compares two versions of a document—an original and a revised version—and highlights the differences between them, even if 'Track Changes' wasn’t used.

Outlines

00:00

📝 Introducing Track Changes and Comments in Word

The video introduces two useful features in Microsoft Word: Track Changes and Comments. These tools allow you to proofread and suggest edits electronically, mimicking the process of marking a printed document with red ink. By enabling Track Changes, edits to the document are tracked as 'markup,' making it easy for the document owner to review them.

🔄 Activating Track Changes and Understanding Markup

Track Changes can be activated from the Review tab in Word, where any deletions will appear crossed out, and additions will be underlined. This feature allows the document's owner to see and review all edits before incorporating them into the final version.

💬 Adding Comments for Feedback

Comments can be added by selecting text and using the New Comment command. This feature is handy for making suggestions, such as addressing a letter to the appropriate authority, and the comments appear in the margins for clarity.

✔️ Accepting or Rejecting Changes

As the original author of the document, you have the ability to accept or reject any changes made. You can either do this individually or in bulk, using the Accept or Reject commands under the Review tab. The author demonstrates how to accept a change by clicking on the relevant option.

🗑️ Deleting Comments

To remove a comment, simply select the comment box and click the Delete command. Word also offers the option to delete all comments at once, making it easier to manage feedback when there are multiple comments throughout the document.

📑 Viewing Markup in Balloons

For easier reading, Word allows you to move the markup to the side of the document using the 'Show Revisions in Balloons' option. This relocates many of the changes to a separate pane, improving the readability of the main text.

👁️‍🗨️ Hiding Markup Temporarily

You can temporarily hide the markup using the 'No Markup' option, which will display the document as if all changes were accepted. However, it’s crucial to remember that hiding markup doesn’t mean accepting the changes—final acceptance is still required.

🔍 Comparing Documents for Untracked Changes

If changes were made to a document without Track Changes being enabled, Word has a Compare feature that can highlight the differences between the original and revised versions. By comparing the two, Word generates a new version with full markup, allowing you to review changes as though Track Changes had been used from the start.

🤝 Benefits of Collaboration Tools in Word

Track Changes, Comments, and Compare are powerful collaboration tools in Word, making it easy to track revisions, share feedback, and work on projects with others. These features streamline the process of document editing and reviewing in collaborative settings.

Keywords

💡Track Changes

Track Changes is a feature in Word that allows users to make edits in a document while keeping a record of the modifications. In the video, it's compared to using a red pen to mark errors. When activated, any added, deleted, or modified text is highlighted, making it easier for the document owner to review and approve changes before finalizing the document.

💡Comments

Comments in Word allow users to add notes or suggestions without altering the main content of the document. This feature is often used in collaboration, allowing the reviewer to make suggestions, such as addressing a letter to a specific person, as demonstrated in the video, while keeping the original text intact.

💡Markup

Markup refers to the visual indicators of changes made in a document when using Track Changes. It includes elements like crossed-out text for deletions and underlined text for additions. Markup lets both authors and reviewers see what alterations have been made and helps them manage revisions more efficiently.

💡Accept or Reject Changes

In Word, after a document is reviewed and changes are marked up, the original author can accept or reject individual changes. This ensures that the author has control over the final content. The video shows how this process can be done for each change or for all changes at once.

💡Review Tab

The Review Tab in Word contains tools for tracking changes, adding comments, and comparing documents. It's the central hub for managing collaborative editing, as demonstrated in the video when the speaker activates Track Changes and accesses other revision tools.

💡Compare Documents

The Compare feature in Word allows users to compare two versions of a document to see what changes were made. This is especially useful if Track Changes was not turned on during editing. In the video, this feature is highlighted as a way to generate a list of differences between the original and revised documents.

💡Balloons

Balloons are a way to display revisions and comments in the margins of the document rather than inline with the text. This feature, demonstrated in the video, makes it easier to read the main content without distraction while still reviewing the proposed changes or comments off to the side.

💡No Markup

No Markup is a view option in Word that hides all tracked changes and comments, allowing users to see what the final version of the document would look like without the revisions being visible. The video emphasizes that this does not accept the changes; it's simply a temporary view for clarity.

💡Final Version

The final version of a document refers to the fully edited and approved version after all changes have been reviewed and either accepted or rejected. In the video, the speaker explains that even though No Markup shows a clean view of the text, the final version isn't complete until all changes are officially accepted.

💡Delete Comments

Deleting comments in Word is part of the cleanup process after a review. Once the comments have been addressed, they can be removed individually or all at once, as demonstrated in the video. This ensures the final version is free from any lingering notes or suggestions.

Highlights

Track Changes and Comments in Word allow for electronic proofreading and collaboration, simulating traditional markup methods.

Turning on Track Changes displays edits as markup, where deleted text is crossed out and added text is underlined.

Comments can be added in the margins to provide suggestions or notes, enhancing communication during document review.

Authors can accept or reject suggested changes, either individually or all at once, to finalize the document.

Comments can be deleted individually or all at once to clean up the document after review.

Balloons view moves markup to the right margin, making the document easier to read by reducing visual clutter in the text.

The No Markup view hides all changes temporarily, allowing users to see the final draft without visible edits.

Hiding markup does not accept changes; users must still accept or reject them before finalizing the document.

The Compare feature identifies changes between the original and revised versions, even if Track Changes wasn't enabled.

Using Compare, users can see a combined version with all changes highlighted, simulating the effect of Track Changes.

Accepting or rejecting changes from the Compare feature works the same as with Track Changes.

Word’s revision tools help maintain a clear record of document edits and feedback during collaboration.

These tools are essential for collaborative projects, allowing multiple users to contribute and review without confusion.

Track Changes ensures transparency in the editing process, making it clear who made which changes.

Comments and Track Changes streamline the process of working on the same document with multiple people, enhancing productivity and communication.

Transcripts

If you were to print a copy of your document, and ask a friend to proofread it, they'd probably

mark the errors in red pen, and write any suggestions they had in the margins.

Wouldn't it be easier if you could do that electronically?

In Word, you can—using two features called Track Changes and Comments.

I'm going to turn on track changes right now so I can show you what I mean.

To do this, go to the Review tab… then click the Track Changes command.

Now any changes I make to the document will appear as "markup," which is Word's answer

to the traditional red pen.

For example, when I delete text, it doesn't go away… it just gets crossed out.

When I add more text, it gets underlined.

This lets the owner of the document see what changes I've made before making them part

of the final draft.

You can also add comments in the margins by selecting the text you want to comment on…

then clicking the New Comment command.

In this example, it would be best to address the letter directly to the hiring authority,

so that's what I'm going to suggest.

When you're done, press the Esc key, or click anywhere outside the comment box to close

it.

So how does it work if you're on the other end of the document?

Well, as the original author, it's up to you accept the changes to make them permanent,

or reject them if you disagree.

Take this change here.

Just select it with your cursor… then go to Accept to keep it, or Reject to go back

to your original text.

You can even open the menus underneath the commands, and accept or reject all the changes

in the document at once.

I'm going to accept just this one change.

To remove any comments, start by selecting the comment box… then go to the Delete command.

If you have multiple comments, you can delete just the current one… or you can delete

them all at once.

At this point, you might find it helpful to view some of the markup off to the side instead

of in the text itself.

This should make the document a little easier to read.

First, go to the Show Markup command… then Balloons.

Now click Show Revisions in Balloons… and many of the changes will move to the right.

If you want to hide all of the changes temporarily, take a look at the options in the menu here.

Right now, what we're seeing is the final version of the document, but with all the

changes and revisions still visible.

Choose No Markup… and the markup will disappear, so we can see what the final draft might look

like with all the changes in place.

There's one thing to keep in mind, though (and this is very important): hiding the markup

isn't the same as accepting all changes.

You still need to accept or reject the changes in your document before you send out the final

version.

Let's say someone reviewed and edited your document, but forgot to turn on Track Changes.

It's still possible to accept or reject the changes they made using a neat feature called

Compare.

To get started, click Compare on the Review tab… then click Compare again.

You'll need a copy of your original document… and also a copy of the revised version.

When you're ready, click OK.

At this point, Word will compare the two documents, and come up with a list of changes that were

made between them.

Over here is my original document…

the version that someone else revised… and in the middle is the combined version with

full markup, as if the Track Changes feature was turned on all along.

Word was able to put this together based on the comparison of the two documents.

Now you can accept or reject the changes just like I showed you before.

All of these features can be a huge help when it comes to collaborating on projects.

They make it easy to keep track of revisions, and communicate ideas back and forth—so

you can work on the same document with friends, family, or co-workers.