Getting rid of markups

If you no longer need them, accept all changes and delete all comments.

Otherwise, this is a display settings issue. On the Review tab, set the display of tracked changes to Final and turn off display of comments. They will still be there, but you will not see them on screen.

To get rid of comments and track changes in Microsoft Word, you can follow these steps:

1. Click on the "Review" tab in the ribbon at the top of the screen.
2. In the "Tracking" section, click on the drop-down arrow next to "Show Markup."
3. Uncheck the boxes next to "Comments" and "Insertions and Deletions."
4. To remove the gray boxes in the right-hand margin, click on the "View" tab in the ribbon.
5. In the "Views" section, click on "Draft" view.
6. The gray boxes should now be removed.

If you want to permanently remove the comments and track changes, you can accept or reject them by clicking on the "Review" tab and using the "Accept" or "Reject" buttons in the "Changes" section.

I have the problem both on Mac and Windows 11. I tried this fix on Word for Mac 16.89.1 updated within the past few days. I have also tried similar fixes in Windows. I think the default has somehow been reset.

Just to be clear, have you tried the following steps? In Word for Windows, go to the Review tab. In the Changes group, click the arrow on the Accept button and then choose Accept All Changes and Stop Tracking.

If you also want to delete all comments, click Review tab > Comments group > Delete > Delete All Comments in Document.

Note that if you are saying that new documents starts with track changes enabled in them, you have to open your template for editing and follow the same steps as above.

If you don't actively make use of templates, exit Word and rename the Normal template. See https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/office/troubleshoot/word/issues-when-start-or-use-word#option5.

This did not work, because the show markup dropdown menu did NOT have any of the options described. Only Simple markup, All markup, No Markup and Original. And No markup reverts as soon as I reopen the document. This never used to happen - obviously some "update" has snuck this in as a default setting that can't be changed.

To get rid of the revisions (tracked changes) and the comments permanently, you have to accept all changes and stop the tracking and you also have to delete the comments.

The exact steps will depend on which version of Word you are running. The operating system will also be relevant information.

Hi, thank you for reaching out. My name is Deeksha and I'm a Microsoft user like yourself and I will try to help you as best as I can today.

Open Your Document Launch Microsoft Word and open the document containing the comments and markup elements you want to remove.

Navigate to the Review Tab: Click on the "Review" tab located in the ribbon at the top of the Word window. This tab contains options for reviewing and editing documents.

Show Markup Options: In the "Tracking" group on the Review tab, locate the "Show Markup" dropdown menu. It may be labeled as "Markup" depending on your version of Word. Click on the dropdown menu to reveal a list of markup options.

Turn Off Comments: Within the "Show Markup" dropdown menu, make sure that the "Comments" option is unchecked. This will hide all comments in the document.

Turn Off Other Markup: While still in the "Show Markup" dropdown menu, uncheck any other markup options you want to hide. These may include "Insertions and Deletions," "Formatting," etc. Ensure that all options related to markup are unchecked to hide all markup elements.

Remove Gray Boxes: If the gray boxes are not part of the markup but are separate elements (such as text boxes or shapes), click on each gray box to select it. Press the Delete key on your keyboard to remove the selected gray boxes. If the gray boxes are part of the markup, unchecking the appropriate options under "Show Markup" should hide them.

Review Document: Once you've turned off comments and other markup options and removed any gray boxes, review your document to ensure that all desired elements have been removed successfully.

Save your document to preserve the changes you've made.

Try these steps and hopefully, it resolves your issue. In case you need further help or assistance, please let us know. You can also contact Microsoft Support if the problem persists.

Best regards Deeksha