Review Word Documents Like a Pro: Track Changes, Comments, and Workflows

The Document Review Cycle

Most document reviews follow this pattern:

1. Author creates document with Track Changes off
2. Author enables Track Changes and shares
3. Reviewers make edits (tracked) and add comments
4. Author reviews changes and accepts/rejects
5. Author addresses comments
6. Repeat 3-5 until everyone is satisfied
7. Author accepts all remaining changes and finalizes

This guide covers steps 3-5 in depth.

Preparing a Document for Review

Enable Track Changes

Before sending to reviewers:

1. Review tab → Track Changes → Track Changes (click to enable)
2. The button stays highlighted when active

To lock Track Changes (prevent reviewers from turning it off):

1. Review tab → Track Changes dropdown → Lock Tracking
2. Set a password (optional but recommended)
3. Now reviewers can't disable tracking

Set Display Options

Make tracked changes visible:

1. Review tab → Display for Review dropdown
2. Select "All Markup" to see all changes inline
3. Or "Simple Markup" for a cleaner view (click margin indicators to expand)

Configure Change Display

Customize how changes appear:

1. Review tab → Show Markup
2. Choose what to display:
   • Comments
   • Insertions and Deletions
   • Formatting
   • Balloons (show revisions in margins)

Reviewing Changes

View Methods

All Markup: Shows all changes inline with formatting. Insertions underlined, deletions struck through.

Simple Markup: Clean document with red lines in margin indicating changed areas. Click line to expand.

No Markup: Document appears as if all changes were accepted. Changes aren't visible but still exist.

Original: Document appears as it was before changes. Changes aren't visible but still exist.

Navigate Between Changes

Using the ribbon:

• Review tab → Previous / Next buttons
• Each click moves to the next tracked change or comment

Using keyboard:

• No default shortcut, but you can assign one via File → Options → Customize Ribbon → Keyboard Shortcuts

Using Reviewing Pane:

1. Review tab → Reviewing Pane
2. Shows all changes and comments in a list
3. Click any item to jump to it

Accept or Reject Changes

One at a time:

1. Navigate to a change
2. Click Accept (keeps the change) or Reject (reverts to original)
3. Word moves to the next change

Accept/Reject and Move:

• Accept dropdown → Accept and Move to Next
• Reject dropdown → Reject and Move to Next

Bulk operations:

• Accept dropdown → Accept All Changes
• Reject dropdown → Reject All Changes
• Accept dropdown → Accept All Changes and Stop Tracking

Right-click method:

• Right-click on a change
• Select Accept or Reject from context menu

Review by Specific Reviewer

When multiple people have reviewed:

1. Review tab → Show Markup → Specific People
2. Check only the reviewers you want to see
3. Other changes are hidden (not deleted)
4. Review and accept/reject visible changes
5. Change filter to show other reviewers' changes

Managing Comments

View All Comments

In document: Comments appear in bubbles on the right margin.

In Reviewing Pane: All comments listed in order.

Reply to Comments

1. Click on the comment
2. Click "Reply" (or the reply icon)
3. Type your response
4. Click outside to save

Replies thread under the original comment.

Resolve Comments

When a comment has been addressed:

1. Click the comment
2. Click the three-dot menu (...)
3. Select "Resolve Thread"

Resolved comments appear grayed out but remain visible. You can reopen them if needed.

Delete Comments

Single comment:

1. Right-click the comment
2. Select "Delete Comment"

All comments:

1. Review tab → Delete dropdown
2. Select "Delete All Comments in Document"

Resolved comments only: No built-in option. You'd need a macro or manual deletion.

Advanced Review Features

Compare Documents

Compare two versions to see differences:

1. Review tab → Compare → Compare
2. Select Original document
3. Select Revised document
4. Click OK

Word creates a third document showing all differences as tracked changes.

Combine Reviews

Merge changes from multiple reviewers:

1. Review tab → Compare → Combine
2. Select Original document
3. Select one reviewer's document
4. Click OK
5. Repeat for additional reviewers

Each reviewer's changes appear with their attribution.

Restrict Editing During Review

Lock down what reviewers can change:

1. Review tab → Restrict Editing
2. Check "Allow only this type of editing"
3. Select "Tracked changes" or "Comments"
4. Click "Yes, Start Enforcing Protection"
5. Set optional password

Now reviewers can only make the types of changes you specified.

Programmatic Document Review

Reading Track Changes via API

Extract all tracked changes from a document:

from docxagent import DocxClient

client = DocxClient()
doc_id = client.upload("reviewed_document.docx")

# Get document content with track changes
content = client.read_document(doc_id, include_track_changes=True)

# Process each tracked change
for change in content.get('track_changes', []):
    print(f"Type: {change['type']}")  # 'insertion' or 'deletion'
    print(f"Author: {change['author']}")
    print(f"Date: {change['date']}")
    print(f"Text: {change['text']}")
    print(f"Paragraph: {change['paragraph_index']}")
    print("---")

Reading Comments

# Get all comments
comments = content.get('comments', [])

for comment in comments:
    print(f"Author: {comment['author']}")
    print(f"Text: {comment['text']}")
    print(f"Paragraph: {comment['paragraph_index']}")
    print(f"Resolved: {comment.get('resolved', False)}")

    # Replies to this comment
    for reply in comment.get('replies', []):
        print(f"  Reply by {reply['author']}: {reply['text']}")

Automated Review Checks

Run automated checks on documents during review:

from docxagent import DocxClient

client = DocxClient()
doc_id = client.upload("contract_for_review.docx")

content = client.read_document(doc_id)

# Define review rules
review_rules = [
    {'keyword': 'TBD', 'message': 'Placeholder needs completion'},
    {'keyword': 'DRAFT', 'message': 'Draft marker found'},
    {'keyword': 'TODO', 'message': 'Action item not completed'},
    {'keyword': 'unlimited liability', 'message': 'Legal review required'},
]

# Check document against rules
for i, para in enumerate(content['paragraphs']):
    for rule in review_rules:
        if rule['keyword'].lower() in para['text'].lower():
            client.add_comment(
                doc_id,
                paragraph_index=i,
                comment_text=f"Auto-flag: {rule['message']}",
                author="Review Bot",
                highlight=True
            )

# Download flagged document
client.download(doc_id, "contract_auto_reviewed.docx")

Accepting/Rejecting Changes Programmatically

# Accept all changes from a specific author
for change in content.get('track_changes', []):
    if change['author'] == 'Trusted Reviewer':
        client.accept_change(doc_id, change['id'])
    elif change['author'] == 'Untrusted Reviewer':
        client.reject_change(doc_id, change['id'])

# Accept all changes (clean document)
client.accept_all_changes(doc_id)

# Download clean version
client.download(doc_id, "contract_final.docx")

Resolving Comments Programmatically

# Resolve all comments that contain "Fixed" or "Done"
for comment in content.get('comments', []):
    for reply in comment.get('replies', []):
        if any(word in reply['text'].lower() for word in ['fixed', 'done', 'resolved']):
            client.resolve_comment(doc_id, comment['id'])
            break

Review Workflow Templates

Simple Two-Person Review

Author → Reviewer → Author (accept/reject) → Final

1. Author enables Track Changes
2. Author shares with Reviewer
3. Reviewer edits and comments
4. Author processes changes
5. Author finalizes

Legal Contract Review

Drafter → Internal Review → Client Review → Negotiation → Final

1. Drafter creates document
2. Internal legal reviews (Track Changes on)
3. Client receives with Track Changes history
4. Client makes counter-edits
5. Parties negotiate until agreed
6. Final version with all changes accepted

Academic Peer Review

Author → Reviewer 1 ─┐
                     ├→ Author (revise) → Reviewer → Final
Author → Reviewer 2 ─┘

1. Author submits
2. Multiple reviewers comment independently
3. Author uses Combine to merge feedback
4. Author revises addressing all comments
5. Reviewers approve revisions
6. Final submission

Common Review Mistakes

Accepting without reviewing

Don't "Accept All" without reading changes. Important errors or malicious edits could slip through.

Editing with Track Changes off

If you disable Track Changes, those edits aren't recorded. Always verify it's on before editing.

Resolving instead of replying

Resolving a comment signals "this is done." If you mean "I acknowledge this," reply instead.

Keeping Track Changes on in final version

Before delivering a "final" document, decide whether recipients should see the edit history. Accept/reject all changes if they shouldn't.

Forgetting to check "Simple Markup" areas

Simple Markup hides inline changes. Switch to All Markup before accepting/rejecting to see everything.

The Bottom Line

Document review in Word is powerful when you understand the tools:

1. Track Changes records every edit
2. Comments allow discussion without editing
3. Accept/Reject gives authors final control
4. Compare/Combine handles multiple versions

For manual review of individual documents, Word's built-in tools are excellent.

For automated review workflows—flagging documents, running compliance checks, processing changes at scale—programmatic approaches with DocMods add capabilities Word alone can't provide.