How to make printing without markup the default

Question

How to make printing without markup the default

Kate G 16

I would like the default print setting to EXCLUDE markups without having to go into the dropdown menu on various files and deselect "print markup" in the print menu. Is there a way to do this in preferences, for instance?

Emi Zhang-MSFT 30,126 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff

2022-01-13T09:42:17.477+00:00

Hi
Just checking in to see if the information of StefanBlom-6438 was helpful. Please let us know if you would like further assistance.

1 answer

Your answer

Emi Zhang-MSFT 30,126 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff

2022-01-13T09:42:17.477+00:00

Hi
Just checking in to see if the information of StefanBlom-6438 was helpful. Please let us know if you would like further assistance.

Answer 1

Stefan Blom 324.2K MVP Volunteer Moderator

As far as I know, you can't prevent markup from printing. If it is there, it will print.

You can selectively choose which markup you want to show or hide via Review tab > Tracking group > Show Markup, but the choices you make there are not "sticky." They apply to the current document in the current Word session.

What you can do is make a copy of the document where you accept (or reject) all changes.

Kate G 16 Reputation points

2022-01-12T22:32:27.177+00:00

You can actually turn off the markups in the print dialog. You don't need to mess around with the Review tab to do that. I just want the default to exclude markups instead of including them.
Stefan Blom 324.2K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator

2022-01-13T01:02:07.113+00:00

Yes, as I wrote, you can choose not to print the markup, but you can't change the defaults, which is to print any markup that is present. If the markup is there, it will print, unless you actively turn it off for the document and the printing "session."

Using the Show Markup options have the advantage that you can select what you want to print or not print (but it won't change the defaults, either).

So a brief reply to your question would simply be, "No, you can't change the default."
M32Z 0 Reputation points

2025-03-01T16:59:36.66+00:00

This problem may never be fixed, there is lots of room on the options menu to add a "Print" category that users may perhaps even do more with printing than ever before possible?
Stefan Blom 324.2K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator

2025-03-01T17:30:08.8566667+00:00

This problem may never be fixed, there is lots of room on the options menu to add a "Print" category that users may perhaps even do more with printing than ever before possible?

@M32Z,

You can send feedback to Microsoft and request a changed or added option. For example, you can use the feedback portal at https://feedbackportal.microsoft.com/feedback/forum/fb6d67e3-301c-ec11-b6e7-0022481f8472 .

The rationale behind forcing tracked changes to display and print is to prevent users from accidentally sharing markup which they didn't intend for someone else to read.

Share via

How to make printing without markup the default

1 answer

Your answer