How to Print Word Drafts Without Tracked Changes Visible on Paper

When you print a Word document that contains tracked changes, the markup — insertions, deletions, comments, and formatting changes — appears on the printed page unless you change the print settings. This happens because Word’s default print mode includes all markup that is currently visible on screen. The result is a hard copy cluttered with strikethrough text, colored underlines, and comment balloons, which defeats the purpose of printing a clean draft for review or distribution. This article explains how to configure Word to print only the final version of the text without any tracked changes or comments appearing on paper.

Why Tracked Changes Appear on Printed Pages

Word treats tracked changes as a layer of markup that is either displayed or hidden on screen. When you send the document to the printer, Word uses the same display state that you see on your monitor. If the markup is visible on screen — indicated by colored insertions, strikethrough deletions, and comment balloons — it will print exactly as shown. The setting that controls this behavior is called “Print Markup,” and it is enabled by default in every print job. Word does not automatically strip markup from the print stream; you must explicitly tell it to print the document as though all changes have been accepted, without actually accepting them in the file.

Additionally, Word offers a separate view called “No Markup” that displays the document as it would look if all changes were accepted. However, switching to this view alone does not guarantee a clean printout because the print settings override the screen view. The correct approach is to adjust the print settings directly, which forces Word to ignore the markup layer during the print operation regardless of the current screen view.

Steps to Print a Word Draft Without Tracked Changes

The following steps work in Word for Microsoft 365, Word 2021, Word 2019, and Word 2016. The process is identical across these versions.

1. Open the document and keep tracked changes intact
   Do not accept or reject any changes. The document should still show the markup on screen. This is the starting state for a clean print.
2. Press Ctrl+P or go to File > Print
   The Print pane opens. On the right side, the print preview shows a miniature version of the first page. If tracked changes are currently visible on screen, the preview will display them with colored text and comment balloons.
3. Click the first drop-down under Settings (it usually says “Print All Pages”)
   A menu expands. At the bottom of this menu, you see a check box labeled “Print Markup.” By default, this box is checked. Uncheck it.
4. Observe the print preview update
   As soon as you uncheck Print Markup, the preview changes. All strikethrough text, colored insertions, and comment balloons disappear. The preview now shows the document as it would appear with all changes accepted.
5. Set any other print options (copies, page range, orientation) and click Print
   The printed pages will contain only the final text. No markup, no comments, no revision bars appear on paper. The tracked changes remain in the electronic file and are not affected.

Alternative Method: Using the No Markup View Before Printing

Some users prefer to change the screen view first as a visual confirmation. On the Review tab, in the Tracking group, click the drop-down next to Display for Review (or Show Markup in older versions) and select “No Markup.” The document on screen now shows the final version. When you go to File > Print, the Print Markup check box is automatically unchecked. This method works, but it is safer to verify the Print Markup setting directly because certain add-ins or templates may re-enable it.

If Tracked Changes Still Print After Unchecking Print Markup

Tracked changes appear in the print preview even after unchecking Print Markup

This usually happens when the document contains comments that are formatted as hidden text or when the document is in a compatibility mode for an older Word version. To resolve this, click File > Options > Display. Under “Printing options,” uncheck “Print hidden text.” Then return to the Print pane and uncheck Print Markup again. If the issue persists, save the document in the .docx format (not .doc) and repeat the steps.

Comments print as small boxes or icons on the page

When comments are set to print inline rather than in balloons, they may appear as small markers. Unchecking Print Markup removes all comment markers. If you still see markers after unchecking, go to Review > Show Comments and ensure the list is empty. If comments exist, they will print unless Print Markup is unchecked. Verify that the Print Markup check box is not grayed out — a grayed box indicates that the document is protected or that a policy overrides the setting. Remove protection by going to Review > Restrict Editing and clicking Stop Protection if you know the password.

Revision bars or vertical lines appear on the printed page

Revision bars are thin vertical lines that appear in the left margin to indicate a change. These are part of the tracked changes markup. Unchecking Print Markup removes them. If revision bars still appear, the document may have been printed using the “List of Markup” option instead of “Print All Pages.” In the Print pane, ensure the first drop-down is set to “Print All Pages” and not “List of Markup.” The List of Markup option prints a separate page that lists every change — this is not a clean draft.

Print with Markup vs Print Without Markup: Feature Comparison

Item	Print with Markup	Print without Markup
Insertions shown	Colored underlined text	Final text only, no color
Deletions shown	Strikethrough text or balloon	Not shown; text is removed
Comments shown	Balloons in margin or inline	Not printed at all
Revision bars	Vertical line in left margin	Not printed
Document file unchanged	Yes, markup stays in file	Yes, markup stays in file
Print preview clarity	Cluttered with colored markup	Clean, final version only

You can now print any Word draft with tracked changes as a clean, markup-free hard copy. The Print Markup setting gives you full control without altering the original document. For frequent printing of clean drafts, consider adding the Print Markup toggle to the Quick Access Toolbar: right-click the check box in the Print pane and select Add to Quick Access Toolbar. This saves one click each time you print.