How to Show Final With Markup vs Final Without Markup

When you receive a Word document with tracked changes and comments, you see redlines, strikethroughs, and balloons. This markup view shows the editing history, but it also clutters the reading experience. You need a way to preview the document as it would look if all changes were accepted or rejected. Word provides two distinct views: Show Final With Markup and Final Without Markup. This article explains what each view does, how to switch between them, and when to use each option.

What Final With Markup and Final Without Markup Actually Show

Word’s Display for Review feature controls how tracked changes and comments appear on screen. The two settings Final With Markup and Final Without Markup serve different purposes. Understanding the difference prevents confusion when reviewing or printing a document.

Final With Markup displays the document in its final state — all inserted text appears, all deleted text is removed. However, the markup elements remain visible: insertions are underlined or shown in balloons, deletions are shown as strikethrough or in balloons, and comments appear in the margin. This view lets you see the final result while still keeping the editing history visible for reference.

Final Without Markup hides all markup completely. The document shows only the final version of the text. No balloons, no strikethrough, no comment indicators. This view is identical to what the document would look like if you accepted all changes and deleted all comments. It is the clean reading view.

Both views use the same underlying tracked changes data. They do not accept or reject any changes. They only change the visual presentation. You can switch between them at any time without losing any markup information.

Prerequisites for Using These Views

The document must contain tracked changes. If no changes are tracked, both views display the same content. The Display for Review dropdown is located in the Review tab, in the Tracking group. It is available in Word for Microsoft 365, Word 2021, Word 2019, Word 2016, and Word for the web (limited functionality).

How to Switch Between Final With Markup and Final Without Markup

1. Open the document with tracked changes
   Make sure the document contains at least one tracked change. If no changes exist, the dropdown options will not show a visible difference.
2. Go to the Review tab
   Click the Review tab in the ribbon. The Tracking group is located near the center of the ribbon.
3. Open the Display for Review dropdown
   In the Tracking group, click the dropdown menu that currently shows a default option such as Simple Markup or All Markup. The dropdown label may vary depending on your current view.
4. Select Final With Markup
   Click Final With Markup from the list. The document text updates to show the final version, but all markup balloons and revision lines remain visible.
5. Select Final Without Markup
   Click Final Without Markup from the dropdown. All markup disappears. The document shows only the final text with no editing indicators.

You can switch back and forth as many times as needed. The tracked changes remain intact. This setting also affects printing. If you print while in Final Without Markup, the printout will have no markup. If you print while in Final With Markup, the printout will include balloons and revision lines.

Common Mistakes and Limitations

Final Without Markup Does Not Accept Changes Permanently

Some users think Final Without Markup permanently removes markups. It does not. The changes are still tracked in the document. To permanently accept or reject changes, use Accept or Reject in the Review tab. Final Without Markup is only a temporary display filter.

Print Preview May Show Markup Unexpectedly

If you select Final Without Markup but the print preview still shows balloons, check the Print settings. Go to File > Print and look for Print All Pages. Ensure that Print Markup is unchecked. The Display for Review setting and the Print Markup setting are independent.

Final With Markup Shows All Markup Even After Accepting Changes

If you accept all changes and then switch to Final With Markup, you will see no markup because there are no tracked changes left. The view only shows markup that exists. If you want to see markup again, you must have unaccepted changes in the document.

Collaborators See Different Views

When multiple people edit the same document simultaneously in Word for the web, the Display for Review setting is per user. One collaborator can view Final Without Markup while another sees All Markup. This does not affect the document content for other users.

Display for Review Options: Final With Markup vs Final Without Markup vs Other Views

Item	Final With Markup	Final Without Markup
Text shown	Final version (insertions kept, deletions removed)	Final version (insertions kept, deletions removed)
Markup balloons visible	Yes	No
Revision lines visible	Yes	No
Comments visible	Yes	No
Print with markup	Yes (if Print Markup is on)	No
Use case	Reviewing changes while seeing the final text	Reading or printing a clean final version

The other two options in the Display for Review dropdown are Simple Markup and Original. Simple Markup shows the final text with a red vertical line next to changed paragraphs but no detailed balloons. Original shows the document before any tracked changes were applied. These are useful for different review stages but are not the focus of this article.

You can now switch between Final With Markup and Final Without Markup in any document with tracked changes. Use Final With Markup when you need to confirm the final text while still seeing where edits occurred. Use Final Without Markup when you want a clean reading or printing experience. For a permanent clean version, use Accept All Changes in the Review tab before switching to Final Without Markup.