Why Word Print Output Skips Track Changes Despite Display Setting On

You have Track Changes turned on in Word and the display setting shows all markup, but the printed document arrives without any tracked edits. This happens because Word uses a separate print-time setting that can override what you see on screen. The printed output reflects the print markup selection, not the display markup selection. This article explains why the two settings are independent and gives you the exact steps to print tracked changes reliably.

Why Word Prints the Final Version Instead of the Marked-Up Version

Word stores Track Changes data in the document file permanently. The display setting on the Review tab — Show Markup — controls what you see on screen. This setting does not control what the printer receives. The print output is governed by a separate setting located in File > Options > Display under the Printing options section. The checkbox labeled Print markup is turned off by default in many Word installations. When it is off, Word prints the document as if all tracked changes have been accepted, even though the changes are still present in the file.

This design exists because many users want to print a clean final copy without seeing deletion strikethroughs, insertion underlines, or comment balloons. However, it causes confusion when a user has Show Markup turned on and assumes the printed page will match the screen. The printer always follows the print-specific option, not the display option.

How Word Stores the Two Settings Independently

The display setting is stored in the registry per user session and resets when you change it on the Review tab. The print markup setting is stored in the Word Options file and remains persistent until you change it in File > Options > Display. Because they are stored in different locations, turning on Show Markup on the Review tab does not automatically turn on Print markup in Options. You must enable both separately.

Steps to Print Tracked Changes Correctly

1. Open the Print backstage
   Press Ctrl+P or go to File > Print. The Print pane shows a preview of the first page.
2. Check the Print Markup toggle
   Under Settings, click the first dropdown that shows Print All Pages by default. Look for the Print Markup checkbox at the bottom of the list. If it is unchecked, the preview will show a clean document with no tracked changes.
3. Enable Print Markup for this print job
   Click the checkbox to add a checkmark. The preview immediately updates to show deletion strikethroughs, insertion underlines, and comment balloons.
4. Print the document
   Click the Print button. The output now includes all tracked changes as they appear on screen.

Change the Default Setting So All Future Prints Include Track Changes

If you need every print job to include tracked changes, change the default option instead of toggling it each time.

1. Open Word Options
   Go to File > Options.
2. Select the Display category
   Click Display in the left navigation pane.
3. Enable Print markup
   Under Printing options, check the box labeled Print markup. You can also check Print hidden text if you want comments and other hidden content to appear on paper.
4. Confirm the change
   Click OK. All future print jobs will now include tracked changes unless you uncheck Print Markup in the Print backstage for a specific job.

If Track Changes Still Do Not Print

Print Markup Is Enabled but the Preview Shows No Changes

This usually means the document has no tracked changes. Open the Review tab and look at the Tracking group. If Accept and Reject buttons are grayed out, the document is clean. Insert a test change by typing a word and then deleting it. Enable Print Markup in the Print backstage and check the preview again.

Print Markup Is Grayed Out in the Print Backstage

This occurs when the document is in a mode that does not support Track Changes, such as Reading Mode or a protected view. Exit Reading Mode by pressing Escape. If the document opened in Protected View, click Enable Editing in the yellow bar. After editing is enabled, Print Markup becomes available.

Track Changes Are in Balloons but Balloons Do Not Print

Word can display changes inline (within the text) or in balloons (in the margin). The print output uses the same layout as the screen. If balloons are turned off on screen, they will not appear in print. Go to Review > Show Markup and ensure Balloons is set to Show Revisions in Balloons. Then enable Print Markup and print again.

Comments Print but Track Changes Do Not

This happens when the Print markup option is enabled but the document uses Simple Markup view. Simple Markup hides detailed changes on screen and also hides them in print. Change the display to All Markup on the Review tab before printing. The print output will then include all tracked changes.

Item	Display Setting (Review Tab)	Print Setting (Options or Print Backstage)
Controls on-screen Track Changes visibility	Yes	No
Controls printed Track Changes visibility	No	Yes
Location to change	Review tab > Show Markup	File > Options > Display > Print markup OR Ctrl+P > Print Markup
Default value in new Word installations	All Markup	Disabled (unchecked)
Persists between sessions	No (resets per document)	Yes (global setting)

You now know why Word prints a clean document even when Track Changes display is on. The fix is simple: enable Print Markup in File > Options > Display or toggle it in the Print backstage with Ctrl+P. For a permanent change, check Print markup in Display options. If the document uses Simple Markup, switch to All Markup before printing. As an advanced tip, you can save a PDF with tracked changes by using File > Export > Create PDF and ensuring Print Markup is enabled in the export settings.