What Is The Review Tab In Microsoft Word

The Review tab in Microsoft Word brings together tools for checking writing and reviewing other people's edits. You can use it to track revisions, add comments, accept or reject changes, and compare document versions. It also provides access to proofing and language tools, helping writers.

Where to find the Review tab

Open a document in Word and select Review on the ribbon at the top of the window. The commands available and their arrangement depend on whether you use Word for Windows, Mac or the web, as well as your ribbon layout.

The steps below describe common desktop workflows. If your screen looks different, look for the command name rather than a particular button position. For related Word and Office tasks, browse the Microsoft Office guides.

Choose the right review tool

The main distinction is between changing the document and discussing it. Choose a tool according to the result you need:

• Track Changes records proposed edits to the document's text and formatting.
• Comments attach questions or feedback to a passage without replacing its wording.
• Accept and Reject let you decide which tracked revisions to keep.
• Editor or Spelling & Grammar checks writing for possible errors.
• Compare identifies differences between two saved versions.

For example, correct a sentence with Track Changes when you have a specific replacement in mind. Add a comment when the author needs to clarify a claim or supply missing information.

Record and review edits with Track Changes

Turn tracking on before editing

Track Changes makes revisions visible to a reviewer. It does not retrospectively record edits made while tracking was off.

1. Save a copy of the document if you need to preserve its starting point.
2. Open Review and select Track Changes.
3. Edit the document. Word marks insertions, deletions and tracked formatting changes.
4. Use the markup controls to inspect the revisions alongside the surrounding text.

All Markup shows detailed revisions, while Simple Markup provides a less cluttered view with indicators in the margin. Show Markup lets you filter the types of revisions or reviewers displayed.

No Markup hides revisions without removing them. Turning Track Changes off also leaves existing revisions in place; it stops recording new ones.

Accept or reject each proposed change

Accept keeps a tracked edit in the document. Reject discards that edit. Neither action substitutes for checking whether the resulting sentence still makes sense.

1. Choose All Markup and check that the revisions you need to review are visible.
2. Use Next or Previous in the review controls to move between changes.
3. Read each change in context, then select Accept or Reject.
4. Continue until you have addressed the remaining revisions.

Word also offers commands to accept or reject changes in bulk. Use these only after checking the edits and the scope of the command: an option referring to changes shown can act on a filtered selection. Microsoft's guidance on accepting tracked changes explains the basic controls.

Use comments for questions and feedback

A comment is useful when you want to explain an edit, request evidence or ask the author to make a decision. Keep each comment focused on an identifiable issue, such as “Which reporting period does this figure cover?”

1. Select the relevant text or place the cursor where the comment belongs.
2. Choose Review, then New Comment.
3. Write your feedback.
4. If your version uses modern comments, select Post comment to share it.

Reviewers can reply within the thread to keep the discussion together. Resolve a thread when the issue is addressed; delete it when it should be removed from the document. Resolving a comment does not make the suggested text change, and accepting tracked edits does not automatically settle comment discussions. See Microsoft's modern comments instructions for the posting and thread controls.

Check spelling, grammar and language

On Review, look for Editor or the spelling and grammar commands. These offer suggestions for potential writing errors. Review each suggestion before applying it, especially with names, technical terms and deliberate stylistic choices.

Set the proofing language to match the text. On desktop Word for Windows, select the relevant passage, then choose Review, Language and Set Proofing Language. Choose English (Australia) or English (United Kingdom) where appropriate so spelling suggestions match your document.

The Thesaurus can help you find an alternative word, but check its meaning in the sentence before replacing anything. Translate can help you understand text in another language; have consequential translations checked by someone who knows the language and subject.

Finish with a manual read for incorrect facts, missing words and unclear reasoning. Automated proofing cannot establish that the content is accurate.

Compare versions when edits were not tracked

If someone returns a separately edited file, Compare can reveal differences even if Track Changes was not used. In desktop Word for Windows:

1. Open Review, select Compare, then choose the option to compare two document versions.
2. Select the earlier file as the Original document and the edited file as the Revised document.
3. Choose which differences to include, such as text or formatting.
4. Keep the results set to appear in a new document, then select OK.

With that setting, Word creates a comparison document without changing the two source files. Use Combine instead when you need to bring tracked revisions from multiple reviewers into one document. Microsoft's document comparison guide explains the available settings.

Prepare the reviewed document for sharing

Before sending a finished copy, check for outstanding tracked revisions and comments. Accept or reject the edits, address the discussions, and delete comments that recipients should not receive. Save the completed file under a clear name so collaborators can identify the version to use.

If an Office activation message prevents editing, resolve that separately before continuing. The guides to activating Microsoft Office using Command Prompt and finding an Office product key using Command Prompt cover those related setup tasks.

To practise, open a copy of your document, enable Track Changes, edit one sentence and add a comment explaining the change.