Word Track Changes Balloons Disappear in Print Layout: Fix

You are working in Print Layout view in Word, but the Track Changes balloons — those colored callouts showing insertions, deletions, and comments — have vanished. Instead of seeing the revisions in the margins, you might see only inline marks or nothing at all. This problem typically occurs because Word’s display settings for Track Changes are set to show revisions inline rather than in balloons, or because the view is accidentally switched to a mode that hides balloons. This article explains the exact settings that control balloon visibility and provides step-by-step instructions to restore the balloons in Print Layout view.

Why Track Changes Balloons Disappear in Print Layout

Word offers two ways to display tracked changes: inline (where insertions and deletions appear within the text) and in balloons (where changes appear in colored callouts in the margins). The balloons view is the default in Print Layout and is the most readable way to review revisions. Balloons disappear when Word’s “Display for Review” setting is changed from “All Markup” to “Simple Markup” or “No Markup.” In Simple Markup, Word shows a vertical red line in the margin to indicate a change but hides the actual balloon content. In No Markup, all tracked changes are hidden entirely. Additionally, a setting in Word Options can force all revisions to appear inline, overriding the balloon display. A third cause is a corruption in the document’s revision data or a conflict with the “Remove personal information” privacy setting, which can cause Word to collapse all comments and revisions into a single balloon or hide them completely.

Simple Markup vs. All Markup

Simple Markup was introduced in Word 2013. It shows only a red line in the left margin where a change exists. To see the actual change, you must click that red line. All Markup shows every change in full detail, including balloons for insertions, deletions, formatting changes, and comments. If balloons are missing, the first thing to check is which Display for Review mode is active.

Inline Revision Display Setting

Even when All Markup is selected, Word can be configured to show all revisions inline. This setting is found under Review > Show Markup > Balloons. When “Show all revisions inline” is selected, insertions appear as underlined text and deletions appear as strikethrough text, with no balloons in the margins. This setting persists across documents and can be accidentally toggled.

Privacy Settings That Affect Comments

Word’s privacy settings can remove personal information from the file. When enabled, this feature removes comment author names and replaces them with “Author.” In some cases, this removal can cause Word to display comments in a collapsed state, making them appear hidden. Disabling this setting can restore proper balloon display.

Steps to Restore Track Changes Balloons in Print Layout

Follow these steps in order. After each step, check if the balloons have reappeared. If not, move to the next step.

Method 1: Switch Display for Review to All Markup

1. Go to the Review tab
   On the ribbon, click the Review tab. In the Tracking group, locate the Display for Review drop-down menu. It currently shows an option like Simple Markup, No Markup, or Original.
2. Select All Markup
   Click the drop-down and choose All Markup. The balloons should now appear in the margins. If they do, the issue is resolved.

Method 2: Change Balloon Display to Show Comments and Formatting in Balloons

1. Open the Show Markup menu
   On the Review tab, in the Tracking group, click Show Markup. A drop-down menu appears.
2. Select Balloons > Show comments and formatting in balloons
   Hover over Balloons and then click Show comments and formatting in balloons. This forces Word to display all tracked changes in balloons. If balloons were hidden because of the inline setting, they will now appear.

Method 3: Disable the Privacy Setting That Removes Personal Information

1. Open Word Options
   Click File > Options. The Word Options dialog box opens.
2. Go to Trust Center
   In the left pane, click Trust Center. Then click the Trust Center Settings button on the right.
3. Clear the Remove personal information check box
   In the Trust Center dialog, click Privacy Options in the left pane. Under Document-specific settings, uncheck Remove personal information from file properties on save. Click OK twice to close both dialog boxes.
4. Save and reopen the document
   Save the document using Ctrl+S. Close and reopen the file. Check if balloons appear.

Method 4: Toggle the Balloon Setting to Force a Refresh

1. Switch to Show all revisions inline
   Go to Review > Show Markup > Balloons > Show all revisions inline. The document will now show changes inline without balloons.
2. Switch back to Show comments and formatting in balloons
   Immediately go back to Review > Show Markup > Balloons > Show comments and formatting in balloons. This toggle often forces Word to rebuild the balloon display and fixes hidden balloons.

Method 5: Reset the Document View to Print Layout

1. Switch to Print Layout view
   On the status bar at the bottom of the Word window, click the Print Layout icon (the leftmost of the five view icons). Alternatively, go to View > Print Layout.
2. Verify balloon visibility
   Balloons are only displayed in Print Layout and Web Layout views. If you are in Draft or Outline view, balloons will never appear. Ensure you are in Print Layout.

If Balloons Still Do Not Appear

If you have tried all methods above and balloons remain missing, consider these additional causes and fixes.

Word Crashed or the Document Is Corrupted

A corrupted document can lose its revision markers. Open the document using the Open and Repair feature: click File > Open, select the document, click the arrow next to the Open button, and choose Open and Repair. This rebuilds the document structure and often restores missing Track Changes data.

Add-ins Interfering with Track Changes

Third-party add-ins can override Word’s display settings. Start Word in Safe Mode by holding the Ctrl key while launching Word. If balloons appear in Safe Mode, disable all add-ins: go to File > Options > Add-ins, click Go next to COM Add-ins, uncheck all items, and restart Word.

The Document Uses a Restricted Permission Template

Documents protected with Information Rights Management (IRM) may restrict the display of Track Changes balloons. Check if the document has restricted access by looking at File > Info > Protect Document. If it says “Restricted Access,” remove the restriction if you have permission, or contact the document owner.

Print Layout vs. Web Layout: Balloon Display Differences

Item	Print Layout	Web Layout
Balloon location	Right margin	Right margin
Balloon width	Fixed, based on page margins	Fixed, based on window width
Display for Review options	All Markup, Simple Markup, No Markup, Original	All Markup, Simple Markup, No Markup, Original
Balloon visibility in Draft view	Not available (no balloons)	Not available (no balloons)
Best use case	Printing and final review	Reviewing on screen without page breaks

Balloons behave identically in Print Layout and Web Layout views. The only difference is that Print Layout shows the page as it will print, while Web Layout shows a continuous page without page breaks. If balloons disappear in Print Layout, they will also disappear in Web Layout, and the same fixes apply to both views.

You can now confidently restore Track Changes balloons in Print Layout by checking the Display for Review setting, toggling the balloon display mode, and disabling the privacy option that removes personal information. If the problem persists, use Open and Repair or run Word in Safe Mode to eliminate add-in conflicts. As an advanced tip, you can create a keyboard shortcut for the “Show comments and formatting in balloons” command by going to File > Options > Customize Ribbon > Customize, then assigning a shortcut like Alt+Shift+B to the command “ShowCommentsAndFormattingInBalloons” for faster access.