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Track changes in Word tracks a 'move' as an 'insert' and 'delete'

Anonymous
2017-05-14T02:36:29+00:00

Hi there - any help would be gratefully received.

I am using Word 365 for Mac (all up-to-date etc)

Basically, I am editing a manuscript and have found that instead of the track changes recording my 'move' text (regardless of whether it is a word, sentence or paragraph) it is being recorded as a 'delete' and 'insert'.

As you can imagine this is doubling the amount of, and changing nature of edits being tracked. When I look at the Microsoft website the closest thing I can find to the problem is this.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/920841/text-is-marked-as-deleted-text-and-as-inserted-text-when-you-move-text-in-a-document-in-word-2007-or-2010

... which is no good for me. Whether it is a Mac thing or not my version does not have a File > Option to go to. (i.e. my File menu does not have Option as an option).

The last time I managed to get it to work was when I uninstalled and re-downloaded/installed the software...Is anyone out there suffering the same problem or frustrations that can offer some direction or help?

Microsoft 365 and Office | Word | For home | Windows

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  1. Anonymous
    2017-05-20T10:44:00+00:00

    Hi Kimi - thanks for responding to my question. I tried what you have asked and it works.

    I've done a bit more experimenting in the manuscript that I am working in and it seems that it will only record a 'move' if that sentence has had no other amendments to it at all. Is that what I've been doing wrong? Is it that as soon as I make any other type alteration or delete a double space etc to a sentence it will no longer be recorded as a 'move' ?

    Regards

    Rachel

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  2. Anonymous
    2017-05-16T23:40:12+00:00

    As above to Stefan, Bob. My problem is that it doesn't track it as a 'move' but as it would if I had cut and paste the text... which, if I were an author and it appeared that my editor was deleting all my text and then rewriting it - I'd be pretty annoyed.

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  3. Anonymous
    2017-05-16T23:38:15+00:00

    Yep... thanks for that, that's how it should work. Unfortunately, for me it tracks it as a 'delete' and 'insert'

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  4. Stefan Blom 339.3K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2017-05-17T07:31:15+00:00

    Well, this may be something that is different or not supported at all on the Mac version of Word 2016.

    As I wrote, in Word for Windows, there are only two situations where tracking a move works (as far as I know):

    • dragging and dropping whole sentences
    • moving a whole paragraph up or down using a keyboard shortcut (Alt+Shift+Up arrow or Alt+Shift+Down arrow)

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  5. Anonymous
    2017-05-16T23:37:03+00:00

    Thanks Allan - it seems that the problem might be in an update as when I reinstall it it works fine and then the next time I install the Office updates - it breaks it again. So Frustrating!

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