How to Lock Word Track Changes So Reviewers Cannot Turn It Off

You need reviewers to edit a document but must ensure every change is tracked. By default, any reviewer can open the Track Changes settings and disable tracking, leaving you with no record of their edits. Word includes a feature called “Lock Tracking” that prevents anyone from turning off Track Changes without a password. This article explains how to enable Lock Tracking in Word, what the feature does, and what to watch out for when using it.

What Lock Tracking Does and What You Need Before Using It

Lock Tracking is a security feature inside Word’s Track Changes tool. When you activate it, Word prevents any user from switching off Track Changes, accepting or rejecting changes, or deleting comments — unless they enter the correct password. The feature does not encrypt the document or restrict who can open it. It only locks the tracking state.

Before you apply Lock Tracking, confirm the following:

• You are using the Word desktop application on Windows or Mac. Lock Tracking is not available in Word for the web, Word for Android, or Word for iOS.
• You have a password you can remember or store securely. If you lose the password, you cannot unlock tracking without third-party tools or document recovery services.
• You have already turned on Track Changes. Lock Tracking only works when Track Changes is active. If tracking is off, the Lock Tracking option is grayed out.

Steps to Lock Track Changes in Word So Reviewers Cannot Turn It Off

1. Open the document and enable Track Changes
   Go to the Review tab. In the Tracking group, click Track Changes so it is highlighted (active). If Track Changes is already on, skip this step.
2. Open the Lock Tracking dialog
   On the Review tab, click the small arrow in the bottom-right corner of the Tracking group to open the Track Changes Options dialog. Alternatively, click the Lock Tracking icon if it is visible in the group. In the dialog, click the Lock Tracking button at the bottom.
3. Enter and confirm the password
   In the Lock Tracking dialog, type a password in the Password box. Retype the same password in the Confirm password box. The password is case-sensitive. Click OK.
4. Verify the lock is active
   After locking, the Track Changes button becomes grayed out. The Accept and Reject buttons also become unavailable. The status bar at the bottom of the Word window may show “Tracked Changes” with a lock icon. Hover over the icon to see “Track Changes is locked.”
5. Save and distribute the document
   Press Ctrl+S to save. The lock travels with the document. When you share the file, reviewers can see tracked changes but cannot turn off tracking or accept or reject changes without the password.

Common Issues When Locking Track Changes

The Lock Tracking button is grayed out

This happens when Track Changes is currently turned off. Go to the Review tab and click Track Changes to enable it. Once tracking is active, the Lock Tracking button becomes available.

I forgot the password and cannot unlock tracking

Word does not provide a password recovery option for Lock Tracking. If you lose the password, you cannot turn off tracking or accept or reject changes. The only workaround is to copy the visible content (without tracked changes markup) into a new document, but this removes all revision history. To avoid this, store the password in a password manager before locking.

Reviewers on Word for the web cannot see the lock

Word for the web respects the lock but does not display the lock icon or the Lock Tracking dialog. Reviewers using the browser version will still be unable to turn off tracking. If they open the document in the desktop app, the lock remains enforced.

Lock Tracking does not prevent editing the document body

Lock Tracking only prevents turning off tracking and accepting or rejecting changes. Any reviewer can still add, delete, or modify text — but every change is recorded as a tracked change. If you need to restrict who can edit the document, combine Lock Tracking with the Restrict Editing pane under Review > Restrict Editing.

Lock Tracking vs Restrict Editing: Feature Comparison

Item	Lock Tracking	Restrict Editing (Read-Only)
What it does	Forces all changes to be tracked and prevents turning off tracking	Makes the document read-only or limits formatting changes
Password required	Yes, set during activation	Optional, set during activation
Users can still edit	Yes, but edits are tracked	No, unless exceptions are set
Available in Word for web	Lock is enforced but cannot be set or removed	Restrictions are enforced but cannot be set or removed
Use case	You want a full revision history of all edits	You want to prevent changes to specific parts of the document

You can apply both Lock Tracking and Restrict Editing simultaneously. For example, set the document to read-only with exceptions for comments, then lock tracking to ensure any allowed edits are recorded.

You now know how to lock Track Changes in Word so reviewers cannot disable it. Start by enabling Track Changes, then access Lock Tracking from the Review tab. For an extra layer of control, combine this with the Restrict Editing pane. Always store the password in a secure location before locking the document.