You need to print a Word document that shows all edits, insertions, deletions, and comments made during the review process. By default, Word prints the document in its final accepted state, which hides all tracked changes. This article explains how to configure Word’s print settings so that the printed copy displays every track change exactly as it appears on screen.
Track Changes is a collaborative editing feature that marks each modification with a color-coded underline, strikethrough, or balloon. When you print, Word uses the “Print What” setting to decide whether to output the document with or without those marks. Changing this setting is a two-step process that takes less than 30 seconds.
You will learn how to set the print range, select “List of markup” or “Document showing markup,” and verify the preview before printing. The article also covers common problems such as missing markup balloons, comments not printing, and how to restore normal printing afterward.
Key Takeaways: How to Print a Word Document With All Track Changes Shown
- File > Print > Settings > Print All Pages > Print What > Document showing markup: Tells Word to print the document with all insertions, deletions, and formatting changes visible, plus comments in balloons.
- File > Print > Settings > Print All Pages > Print What > List of markup: Prints a separate summary list of every tracked change with its author, date, and type — no document body.
- Review > Show Markup > Balloons > Show all revisions inline: Forces all changes to appear inside the text instead of in side balloons, which can be useful for printing narrow-column documents.
Understanding the Print What Setting for Track Changes
Word’s print engine uses a hidden drop-down menu called “Print What” to determine the content that gets sent to the printer. This menu is not visible until you open the full Print dialog or expand the “Settings” section in the backstage Print view. The default setting is “Document,” which prints the document as if all changes have been accepted — no markup appears.
To print with Track Changes visible, you must change this setting to “Document showing markup.” This option tells Word to render the document with all tracked insertions underlined and colored, deletions shown with strikethrough, and formatting changes highlighted. Comments appear in balloons on the right margin, exactly as they do on screen in All Markup view.
A second option, “List of markup,” prints only a tabular list of every change — author, date, time, type of change, and the exact text affected. This list contains no document body text. Use it when you need an audit trail rather than a readable copy of the content.
The “Print What” setting is per-session. After you print, Word reverts to the default “Document” setting the next time you open the Print dialog. This behavior prevents accidental printing of markup on later documents.
Steps to Print a Document With Track Changes Visible
Follow these steps to print any Word document with all tracked changes, comments, and formatting marks included in the output.
- Open the Print dialog
Press Ctrl+P on your keyboard. Word opens the Print backstage view. The right pane shows a preview of the document. The left pane contains printer selection and settings. - Expand the Settings section
Under the printer name, locate the “Settings” group. Click the first drop-down box — it usually says “Print All Pages” by default. A menu with several options appears. - Select Print What
Hover your cursor over the last item in the drop-down menu labeled “Print What.” A submenu opens with three choices: Document, Document showing markup, and List of markup. - Choose Document showing markup
Click Document showing markup. The preview pane updates to display insertions as underlined colored text, deletions as strikethrough text, and comments in right-side balloons. If the preview remains unchanged, make sure Track Changes is turned on (Review > Track Changes) and that the document contains at least one tracked change. - Set the printer and copies
Select your printer from the Printer drop-down. Enter the number of copies in the Copies box. Check any additional settings such as collation or page orientation. - Print the document
Click the large Print button at the top of the left pane. Word sends the document with all markup to the selected printer.
Alternative Method: Print a List of Markup Only
If you need a printed record of every change without the document body, use the List of markup option.
- Open the Print dialog
Press Ctrl+P. - Go to Settings > Print All Pages > Print What > List of markup
Click the Print All Pages drop-down, hover over Print What, and select List of markup. The preview changes to show a table with columns for Author, Date, Time, Type, and Text. - Print
Click Print. The output is a multi-page table listing every tracked change in the order they appear in the document.
Common Problems When Printing Track Changes
Comments or Balloons Are Missing From the Printout
If comments or revision balloons do not appear on the printed page, the document may be set to show markup inline instead of in balloons. Go to Review > Show Markup > Balloons and select Show only comments and formatting in balloons or Show all revisions inline. For printed output with comments visible, use “Show only comments and formatting in balloons.” Then repeat the print steps above.
The Printed Page Looks Different From the Screen View
Word’s screen display uses “All Markup” view by default, but the Print What setting overrides that view. If the printout still looks wrong, check that you selected “Document showing markup” and not “Document.” Also verify that the document is not in Simple Markup view, which hides all changes on screen but does not affect printing — the Print What setting alone controls the output.
Track Changes Are Printed on Every Page Even When I Want a Clean Copy
After printing with markup, Word resets the Print What setting to “Document” the next time you open the Print dialog. If markup continues to appear, close and reopen the document, or manually set Print What back to “Document” before printing. This setting is not sticky across sessions.
Print Preview Shows a Blank Page or Missing Content
This usually happens when the document contains tracked changes that affect page breaks, such as deleted paragraphs or inserted section breaks. Switch to Draft view (View > Draft) to see the full content, then print from there. Alternatively, accept all changes temporarily before printing, then undo the acceptances afterward.
Print Settings: Document With Markup vs List of Markup vs Clean Document
| Item | Document Showing Markup | List of Markup | Document (Clean) |
|---|---|---|---|
| What appears in print | Full document body with insertions underlined, deletions strikethrough, and comments in balloons | A table of every change with author, date, time, type, and affected text — no document body | Final version of the document with all changes accepted — no markup visible |
| Best use case | Proofreading, legal review, or sending a physical copy showing all edits | Audit trail, change log, or compliance record | Final distribution, client submission, or printing a clean copy |
| Page count impact | Higher — balloons and strikethrough text increase line count | Moderate — one row per change, independent of document length | Normal — same as accepted version |
| Keyboard shortcut to select | Ctrl+P then Alt+S then Alt+W then Alt+M | Ctrl+P then Alt+S then Alt+W then Alt+L | Ctrl+P then Alt+S then Alt+W then Alt+D |
You can now print any Word document with all tracked changes and comments visible in the output. To switch between markup views quickly, use the keyboard shortcuts listed in the table. For routine printing of reviewed documents, consider creating a Quick Access Toolbar button for the Print dialog to save two clicks. If you frequently need both a markup copy and a clean copy, print the markup version first, then change Print What back to Document and print again — Word does not remember the previous setting automatically.