Locked Track Changes Issues

Question

Locked Track Changes Issues

Kathrina Nielsen 30

When Track Changes is locked it no longer displays reviewers names in All Markup. Is there a way to fix this?

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Answer accepted by question author

Xavier-D 8,415 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hello Kathrina Nielsen

If reviewer names are no longer showing in Track Changes even when All Markup is selected, this is usually related to how markup is being displayed rather than the document content itself.

Word’s review settings control whether changes are shown for all reviewers and whether revisions appear inline or in balloons.

Was the answer provided by Q&A assist able to help you?

Since Q&A assist already suggested some method to help, I would also like to add a detailed troubleshooting steps to help fix this issue:

Go to Review and make sure All Markup is selected.
Select Review > Show Markup > Specific People, then make sure All Reviewers is checked.
Under Show Markup, confirm Insertions and Deletions is enabled.
Under Show Markup > Balloons, try switching between Show Revisions in Balloons and Show All Revisions Inline. If using balloons, make sure the document is in Print Layout or Web Layout view.

You can also refer to this site for more info on track changes in Word: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/track-changes-in-word-197ba630-0f5f-4a8e-9a77-3712475e806a

Feel free reply back to this post if you need further assistance, I'll be happy to help.

Xavier-D 8,415 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-04-28T01:45:17.1166667+00:00

Hi Kathrina Nielsen

I’m following up to check on the status of this issue.

Have you had an opportunity to review the answer shared earlier?

Any update you can provide would be greatly appreciated.
Kathrina Nielsen 30 Reputation points

2026-04-28T18:08:47.2466667+00:00

Xavier,

Thanks for the information, this did work but only Show Revisions in Balloons was selected. Reviewer names do not show if Show All Revisions Inline is selected.
Xavier-D 8,415 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-04-28T23:59:25.3633333+00:00
Hello Kathrina Nielsen

Thank you for responding

Based on what you found, reviewer names appear when Show Revisions in Balloons is enabled, but they may not display the same way when Show All Revisions Inline is selected.

For now, the practical workaround is:

Go to Review > Show Markup > Balloons.

Select Show Revisions in Balloons if you need reviewer names to remain visible.

If you switch back to Show All Revisions Inline, the names may no longer appear beside the revisions in the same way.

So, if identifying who made each change is important, it would be best to keep the document in balloon view while reviewing.

If you would like this behavior to be improved in inline view, I suggest you submit feedback on Microsoft Feedback Hub. Your opinion can help improve Word in future update.

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Xavier-D 8,415 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-04-28T01:45:17.1166667+00:00

Hi Kathrina Nielsen

I’m following up to check on the status of this issue.

Have you had an opportunity to review the answer shared earlier?

Any update you can provide would be greatly appreciated.
Kathrina Nielsen 30 Reputation points

2026-04-28T18:08:47.2466667+00:00

Xavier,

Thanks for the information, this did work but only Show Revisions in Balloons was selected. Reviewer names do not show if Show All Revisions Inline is selected.
Xavier-D 8,415 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-04-28T23:59:25.3633333+00:00

Hello Kathrina Nielsen

Thank you for responding

Based on what you found, reviewer names appear when Show Revisions in Balloons is enabled, but they may not display the same way when Show All Revisions Inline is selected.

For now, the practical workaround is:

Go to Review > Show Markup > Balloons.

Select Show Revisions in Balloons if you need reviewer names to remain visible.

If you switch back to Show All Revisions Inline, the names may no longer appear beside the revisions in the same way.

So, if identifying who made each change is important, it would be best to keep the document in balloon view while reviewing.

If you would like this behavior to be improved in inline view, I suggest you submit feedback on Microsoft Feedback Hub. Your opinion can help improve Word in future update.

Answer 1

AI answer

Lock Tracking is designed to prevent any changes to tracking settings, including accepting/rejecting changes and turning tracking off. When Track Changes is locked with a password, the document remains in a protected review state where changes can be viewed but certain controls and displays can be restricted.

From the available information, Lock Tracking only guarantees that:

Track Changes cannot be turned off.
Changes cannot be accepted or rejected while locked.

There is no documented option in the provided material to alter how reviewer names are displayed specifically when Track Changes is locked. The documented behavior for Lock Tracking focuses on protection (preventing turning off tracking and accepting/rejecting changes), not on customizing markup display.

If reviewer names are not shown in All Markup when Lock Tracking is enabled, the supported workaround is to unlock tracking (enter the password to turn off Lock Tracking), adjust or review markup as needed, and then re-enable Lock Tracking if required.

References:

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Locked Track Changes Issues

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