Issues with co-working on a word file among windows and apple users.

Question

In my work, we are using Word for our projects. These files are usually created on a Macbook and mostly edited there. Some of our colleagues have windows laptops, so when working on the same project, we share the files. However, recently we have been encountering pretty crucial issues when editing word files among windows and mac computers. Particularly, when track changes function is applied, and the changes are accepted, the file creates some really weird objects like black straight lines throughout the document- seems like it appears where the changes are applied. These are impossible to get rid of, it seems like they are a part of the page for good, and the only way to fix this is to delete the whole page and create the content from scratch- even if you copy the content with the weird line, it stays there. Similarly, we have seen many issues regarding formatting such as line spacing etc., seems like the file cannot be formatted on both, windows and mac. We have never experienced such problems when editing formatting or tracking changes between solely mac users or solely windows users. From my research it seems like this happens due to differences between operating systems and the file becomes corrupted and broken, and there does not seem to be a way of solving this, rather then not sharing the files between the two, or avoiding the usage of change tracking/ formatting only on one device. Can you clearify if my understanding is correct and if there maybe is a way of fixing this? Thank you.

Answer 1

Hello @Barbora,

Thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft Q&A Forum. 

Based on the information you shared, it appears that your team is encountering issues with the Track Changes feature in Microsoft Word when collaborating between Mac and Windows devices. This includes problems such as formatting inconsistencies, unexpected artifacts, and document corruption when the same file is edited across different platforms. 

Per my review, this behavior is not isolated to your environment. Other users have already reported similar issues, particularly when Track Changes and formatting are applied across both Windows and Mac versions of Word. I strongly recommend contacting Microsoft Support team as they have access to advanced diagnostic tools that can analyze the affected documents, investigate back-end configurations, and run deeper synchronization checks. If necessary, they can escalate the case to the back-end team, especially since this appears to affect multiple users and may impact your organization’s workflow. 

Please access directly to Service health - Microsoft 365 admin center, selecting Report an issue, and completing the short form. Microsoft back-end team will look at related data and reports from other organizations to see how widespread the issue is, and if it originated with our service. If it did, we'll add it as a new incident or advisory on the Service health page, where you can track its resolution. The Reported issues tab will show all issues your tenant has reported from this form and the status. 

Furthermore, you can help us to submit a service request with Microsoft support to get advanced technical assistance and diagnostics. For detailed instructions on how to get support, please refer to Get support - Microsoft 365 admin. If you’re an end-user, please coordinate with your Office 365 Global Administrator to handle these steps below:    

• On the bottom right side of the page, select Help & support. 

• Please follow the structure below and select "Contact Support". Then, choose contact method: "Phone" or "Email"  
• Enter a description of your issue, confirm your contact number and email address, select your preferred contact method, and then select Contact me. The expected wait time is indicated in the Contact support pane.   

I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience this issue has caused. As a forum moderator, my capabilities are limited. I truly appreciate your understanding in this situation. 

Please feel free to let me know if you have any further concern, looking forward to hearing from you.