How to Filter and Accept Only Formatting Changes in Microsoft Word Track Changes

Microsoft Word's Track Changes feature far surpasses Google Docs in power and flexibility. As an editor with years of experience, I've relied on it daily, though it has its challenges.

One common issue arises when a document arrives cluttered with tracked formatting changes. These can overwhelm the Review pane, obscure key comments, and make cleanup frustrating—accepting one often reveals more.

While you could select Accept All Changes from the dropdown under Accept, this erases everything, including edits needing review. Instead, filter tracked changes first to target only formatting.

Step 1: Filter Displayed Tracked Changes

Filter markup types with either method:

1. Open the Review tab, click the arrow next to Show Markup, and uncheck all except Formatting.
2. Or, in the Review pane, click the arrow at its bottom to access Change Tracking Options. Uncheck all except Formatting.

Step 2: Accept Only Filtered Changes

Now, only formatting changes appear in the Review pane.

On the Review tab, click the arrow under Accept and select Accept All Changes Shown.

Formatting changes are now applied, clearing the clutter (note: headers and footers may require separate handling).

Step 3: Restore Full View of Tracked Changes

Reverse Step 1 to show all changes again for complete review.

For those who love Word's tracking but want Google Docs-style collaboration, Word offers real-time editing since 2016. The Version History feature (for OneDrive for Business and SharePoint) simplifies collaboration and version control.