Turn off track changes in Word 2003 2

[jazminecat]

Hi - I have a user who has upgraded to Word 2003. She creates a ton of documents that she emails out weekly. Previously, she could use the Tools --> Track Changes --> Accept or Reject Changes window, click Accept All, and her document would be ready to mail out. Now, she is finding that although the document appears normal on her screen, when users with Word 2003 are opening it, they are seeing all the edits and previous versions... you can imagine what a problem this is. After digging around, I found that there was a button missing from her toolbar that gives her a dialog box similar to the previous version Accept or Reject changes window. We did not find this dialog box in any of the menus. My question is - if she clicks the accept all changes button, will it in fact 'flatten' her document such that the only thing remaining in the document is the final version? It is key that we only send out the final version, and not a version in which the public can see any edits or changes that were made. Thank you in advance for all your help!!

 

[macropod]

Hi jazminecat,

The 'Accept all' option does indeed 'flatten' the document as you suggest.

This option should appear under Tools|Track Changes|Accept or Reject Changes. In Word 2000, at least, you can't add this option to the revisions toolbar.

Cheers

[MS MVP - Word]

 

[Madawc]

If you're using 'Track Changes, you need to routinely show the relevant toolbar, View > Toolbars > Reviewing, at least on Word 2002.

If you select a block of text with several revision, you should be able to accept them together without changing the rest of the document. It may take several sets of approvals.

It's also worth making sure that each user has their own ID, so you know who does what. Choose Tools > Options, [User Information] tab, enter a name. Otherwise everyone is 'Adminstrator'.

Madawc Williams (East Anglia, UK). Using Windows XP & Crystal 10

 

[jazminecat]

Currently, she has track changes supposedly turned off. However, Word 2003 seems to like to do the thinking for you - and tracks them anyway. That's the problem - it doesn't show onscreen that the changes are being tracked. It only shows when someone else with Word 2003 opens the document. These are huge documents. Her business process is to take an old version of a contract, for example, copy and paste it into a blank document, and then make the necessary changes to make this contract correct for the current project/vendor/date.

You can imagine how problematic this then becomes when it is emailed to people *outside* the organization, who then see all of the old, and often completely irrelevant information.

Retyping the entire contract is not an option. She sees no need to reinvent language that stays the same from one version to the other.

Madawc - since these are emailed outside the org, the userid issue is irrelevant in this case.

Macropod - that is indeed where it is located. In word 2000. In word 2003 it's not there - the only way to get to it is to add it to the toolbar. Nice huh?

well, I guess we'll just try emailing it internally after clicking the accept all button on the toolbar and see if that works.

 

[macropod]

Hi jazminecat,

Your latest missive suggests Track Changes is actually 'ON', but that your user has the tracked change display suppressed - perhaps by setting the insertion colour to 'black' and the deletions to 'hidden'.

Note, too, that a document that has had Track Changes 'ON' while numbered paragraphs were being inserted/deleted, and those changes are yet to be accepted/rejected, will continue to track chnages in paragraph numbering even if Track Changes is switched 'OFF'.

Cheers

[MS MVP - Word]

 

[macropod]

Hi jazminecat,

I should also have mentioned the most obvious cause of tracked changes not being visible - the user has unchecked the 'Highlight changes on screen' check box under Tools|Track Changes|Highlight Changes.

Cheers

[MS MVP - Word]

 

[Madawc]

I agree with macropod - if Track Changes were really off, nothing would be noted. There are several ways to stop the changes being shown.

Madawc Williams (East Anglia, UK). Using Windows XP & Crystal 10

 

[jazminecat]

Hi - thanks for all your replies. Hm, it would seem we are missing the key piece of information - how to turn off track changes, in Word 2003, by default. We have the toolbar showing, and have deselected the track changes icon on that toolbar; in the tools --> Options --> Track changes window everything is set to none. Is there somewhere else we are missing it? Where we can set it to OFF as you have mentioned above? Thanks!

 

[macropod]

Hi jazminecat,

Check the status bar at the bottom of the Word screen - you should see the letters 'TRK' if they're greyed out, 'Track Changes' is off; if not, 'Track Changes' is on. Doublle-clicking the 'TRK' toggles the 'Track Changes' state.

Cheers

[MS MVP - Word]

 

[jazminecat]

Ah! That will help a lot! Thanks! have another star!