Turn on Track Changes to see who changed what and when
Track Changes in Google Docs records every edit made to a document — who made it, what they changed, and when. When you turn it on, additions appear in one color, deletions in another, and you can see a list of all changes in the sidebar. This is how most teams review drafts before finalizing them.
To turn on Track Changes, click the three-dot menu in the top right corner of your document. Select "Version history" from the dropdown. At the top of the version history panel that opens on the right, click "Turn on Track Changes." Once it is on, every edit — whether yours or someone else's — will be recorded and visible to anyone with access to the document.
Track Changes stays on until you turn it off using the same menu. You can turn it on and off as many times as you need. When you turn it off, the document stops recording new changes, but all previously tracked changes remain visible until you accept or reject them.
Key Takeaways
- Track Changes records who made each edit, what changed, and the exact time of the change in a sidebar you can view anytime.
- Turn Track Changes on through the three-dot menu, then "Version history," then "Turn on Track Changes" at the top of the panel.
- Additions show in one color, deletions in another, and you can accept or reject each change individually or all at once.
- Track Changes works the same way whether you are editing alone or sharing the document with others.
- Turning Track Changes off stops recording new edits but does not erase changes already made — they stay visible until you act on them.
What the Track Changes sidebar shows you
When Track Changes is on, a panel opens on the right side of your document listing every change in order. Each entry shows the person's name, what they changed (added text, deleted text, or formatting), and a timestamp. Click any change in the list and Google Docs will jump to that spot in the document and highlight it.
Additions appear highlighted in a color (usually blue or green depending on who made the change). Deletions appear struck through in a different color. If someone changed formatting — bold, italics, font size, or alignment — that also shows up in the sidebar as a separate entry. You can see at a glance how many changes are in the document and scroll through them one by one.
The sidebar also shows you a summary at the top: how many changes total, how many are still unresolved, and buttons to accept or reject all changes at once. This is useful when you have reviewed everything and want to finalize the document quickly.
Accept or reject individual changes
Next to each change in the sidebar, you will see two buttons: a checkmark to accept the change and an X to reject it. Click the checkmark and that change becomes permanent — the text stays in the document and the change disappears from the list. Click the X and the change is undone — deleted text reappears, added text is removed, and the formatting reverts.
You can go through changes in any order. Most people work from top to bottom, but you can jump to any change by clicking it in the sidebar. Once you accept or reject a change, it is gone from the list. If you change your mind, use Ctrl+Z (or Cmd+Z on Mac) to undo your decision and the change will reappear in the sidebar.
If you want to accept or reject everything at once without reviewing each change individually, click the three-dot menu at the top of the Track Changes sidebar. Select "Accept all changes" or "Reject all changes." This is faster when you trust the edits or when you want to start fresh.
Resolve comments alongside tracked changes
Track Changes and comments often work together. Someone might leave a comment asking why you phrased something a certain way, and also use Track Changes to suggest a different phrasing. When you accept the tracked change, the suggested text stays. When you reject it, the original text stays and the comment remains so you can respond.
Comments have their own resolve button separate from Track Changes. You can accept a tracked change and still leave a comment unresolved if you want to discuss it further. Conversely, you can resolve a comment without accepting the tracked change it refers to. They are independent — handling one does not automatically handle the other.
Turn off Track Changes when you are done reviewing
Once you have accepted or rejected all the changes you want to act on, turn off Track Changes by going back to the three-dot menu, selecting "Version history," and clicking "Turn on Track Changes" again to toggle it off. Any remaining unresolved changes will stay in the sidebar until you deal with them, even after you turn Track Changes off.
If you turn Track Changes off while changes are still unresolved, those changes do not disappear — they remain visible in the sidebar. You can turn Track Changes back on anytime to continue reviewing. The document will not finalize or lock until you accept or reject every change.
Track Changes with multiple editors
When you share a document with others and Track Changes is on, every person's edits are recorded separately. The sidebar shows each person's name next to their changes, and each person gets a different color so you can tell at a glance who changed what. This makes it easy to see if one person is making most of the edits or if the work is distributed.
Everyone with edit access can see all tracked changes, accept them, or reject them — not just the person who made the change. This means if one person accepts a change, it is accepted for everyone. If you want to prevent people from accepting or rejecting changes, you need to restrict edit access through the document's sharing settings.
When multiple people are editing at the same time, Track Changes records their edits in real time. You will see changes appear in the sidebar as they happen, and you can accept or reject them immediately or wait until everyone is done.
Common reasons Track Changes might not be working
If you turned on Track Changes but do not see a sidebar, refresh the page. Sometimes Google Docs needs a moment to load the panel. If the sidebar still does not appear, check that you have edit access to the document — you cannot turn on Track Changes if you only have view or comment access.
If changes are not being recorded even though Track Changes is on, make sure you are actually editing the document and not just viewing it. Also check that the document is not in a read-only state. If the document belongs to someone else and they have restricted editing, your changes might not be tracked. Ask the owner to give you full edit access.
If you see changes in the sidebar but they are not highlighted in the document itself, try scrolling to that section of the document. Sometimes the highlight is there but off-screen. If that does not work, close and reopen the document.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I see who made each change?
Yes. The Track Changes sidebar shows the name of the person who made each edit, the time they made it, and what they changed. Each person gets a different color in the document so you can visually identify their edits at a glance.
What happens to Track Changes if I close the document?
Track Changes stays on the next time you open the document. All previously tracked changes remain in the sidebar until you accept or reject them. Closing the document does not erase the changes or turn off tracking.
Can I turn off Track Changes for just one person?
No. Track Changes is a document-wide setting — it is either on for everyone or off for everyone. If you want to stop tracking one person's edits, you would need to remove their edit access to the document.
Do I have to accept or reject changes before sharing the document?
No. You can share a document with unresolved tracked changes. The people you share it with will see the changes in the sidebar and can accept or reject them themselves. You can also finalize the document by accepting all changes before sharing.
Can I see the history of changes I rejected?
Once you reject a change, it disappears from the Track Changes sidebar. However, you can see all versions of the document — including rejected changes — by going to "Version history" and clicking on an earlier version to view what the document looked like at that time.