When you finish editing a document that has tracked changes from multiple reviewers, you need to finalize it by accepting or rejecting those changes. Going through each change one by one in a long document can take a lot of time. Word includes built-in commands that let you accept all tracked changes at once with a single click. This article shows you how to use the Accept All Changes command and the Reviewing Pane to finalize your document quickly.
Key Takeaways: Accept All Tracked Changes at Once
- Review tab > Accept > Accept All Changes: Accepts every tracked insertion, deletion, and formatting change in the document with one click.
- Reviewing Pane (vertical or horizontal): Shows a summary of all changes and lets you accept them all from the pane menu.
- Ctrl + A then Accept All Changes: Selects the entire document before accepting, which also clears all tracked changes in comments and content.
What the Accept All Changes Command Does
The Accept All Changes command is part of the Review tab in Word. It processes every tracked change in the document at once. An insertion becomes permanent text, a deletion removes the text, and a formatting change applies the new format. No individual review is needed. Before you use this command, make sure your document is in the final review stage. If you still need to discuss changes with collaborators, do not use Accept All Changes — it cannot be undone after the document is saved and closed. Word also includes a Reject All Changes command that works the same way but removes or undoes all changes.
Prerequisites
To use the Accept All Changes command, your document must have tracked changes enabled and at least one change present. The Review tab must be visible in the ribbon. If you do not see the Review tab, right-click any ribbon tab and select Customize the Ribbon. In the right panel, make sure Review is checked. The document should also be saved before accepting all changes so you can revert if needed.
Steps to Accept All Tracked Changes at Once
- Open the document in Word
Make sure the document contains tracked changes. Look for red underlines, strikethrough text, or comment balloons on the right side. - Go to the Review tab
Click the Review tab in the ribbon at the top of the window. The Review tab contains all tracking and commenting tools. - Click the Accept button
In the Changes group, find the Accept button. It has a checkmark icon. Do not click the small arrow on the Accept button — click the main button area. - Select Accept All Changes
If you click the main Accept button, Word accepts the current selected change. To accept all changes at once, click the small downward arrow on the Accept button to open the dropdown menu. Then click Accept All Changes. - Confirm the result
After you click Accept All Changes, all tracked changes are applied. The document should show no more tracked changes. You can verify by looking at the Review tab — if the Accept and Reject buttons are grayed out, no changes remain.
Using the Reviewing Pane to Accept All Changes
- Open the Reviewing Pane
On the Review tab, in the Tracking group, click Reviewing Pane. Choose either Vertical Reviewing Pane or Horizontal Reviewing Pane. The pane appears on the left or at the bottom of the document. - View the change summary
The Reviewing Pane shows a list of all tracked changes grouped by type: insertions, deletions, moves, formatting changes, and comments. - Accept all changes from the pane
Right-click anywhere inside the Reviewing Pane. From the context menu, select Accept All Changes. Word applies all changes and updates the pane to show zero changes.
Accepting All Changes and Stopping Tracking
After accepting all changes, you may want to turn off Track Changes so new edits are not marked. On the Review tab, in the Tracking group, click the Track Changes button to toggle it off. The button background changes color when tracking is active. Click it once to deactivate tracking.
Common Issues When Accepting All Changes
Word Accepts Changes but Some Tracked Changes Remain
If tracked changes still appear after using Accept All Changes, the document may contain changes in headers, footers, footnotes, endnotes, or text boxes. Word does not always apply Accept All Changes to these areas. To fix this, click inside each header or footer, then run Accept All Changes again. Repeat for footnotes and endnotes sections.
Accept All Changes Is Grayed Out
The Accept button may be disabled if the document is protected for tracked changes only or if it is in Read-Only mode. Check the Review tab for a Restrict Editing button. Click Restrict Editing and then click Stop Protection if a password is not required. If the document is read-only, save a copy with a new name and then accept changes.
Accidentally Accepted All Changes
If you accepted all changes by mistake, press Ctrl + Z immediately to undo the action. Word can undo Accept All Changes as long as you have not saved and closed the document. If you saved and closed the document, you can use File > Info > Version History to restore a previous version.
Accept All Changes vs Accept All Changes and Stop Tracking
| Item | Accept All Changes | Accept All Changes and Stop Tracking |
|---|---|---|
| What it does | Applies all tracked changes | Applies all tracked changes and turns off Track Changes |
| Where to find it | Review > Accept dropdown | Review > Accept dropdown (at the bottom) |
| Tracking after command | Tracking remains on if it was on | Tracking is turned off |
| Best use case | You want to continue tracking new edits | You are done editing and do not want new changes tracked |
You can now accept all tracked changes in a Word document in seconds using the Accept All Changes command or the Reviewing Pane. After accepting, remember to turn off Track Changes if you do not want further edits marked. For documents with changes in headers or footers, run the command multiple times in each section. If you need to undo the action, use Ctrl + Z immediately or restore a previous version from File > Info > Version History.