How to Redline a Document in Microsoft Word

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"Redlining" is a form of editing in which red ink is used to indicate removal or addition of text in Microsoft Word. You can redline a Microsoft Word document by using Microsoft Word's built-in "Track Changes" feature, or you can manually redline the document with font color changes and strike-throughs. "Track Changes" is perfect for large-scale editing and feedback, whereas manual redlining is better suited to smaller documents and papers that are sent between different versions of Word.

How to Redline in Word

  1. Select the “Review” tab.
  2. Select “Track Changes.”
  3. Choose “All Markup” to display added text in red.
  4. Click “Show Markup” in the dropdown menu to change which kinds of material appears.
Method 1
Method 1 of 2:

Using Track Changes

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  2. This tab contains tools to help with spell checking and editing, including the "Track Changes" feature. [1]
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  3. This feature places a red line in the margins next to any edited text. It also displays any added text in red. [2]
    • You can also turn on "Track Changes" from any tab by pressing Control + ⇧ Shift + E .
  4. This menu lets you choose how advanced your change tracking is. [3]
  5. This option displays added or replacement text in red. It also adds comments to the right-hand edit bar that detail which action was performed (e.g., "inserted" or "deleted").
    • Your other options are "Simple Markup", which displays red lines next to edited lines of text but doesn't show specifically what changed, "No Markup", which doesn't display changes at all, and "Original", which draws a line through deleted text but doesn't show replacement text.
    • In "Simple Markup", you can click the red lines next to edited lines of text to show which changes were made (as in "All Markup"). [4]
  6. From here, you can choose which elements of "Track Changes" are displayed. Click each option to check it (enable) or uncheck it (disable).
    • Checking "Comments" shows any editor comments in the margins.
    • Checking "Ink" shows editor drawings.
    • Checking "Insertions and Deletions" shows added and removed text.
    • Checking "Formatting" shows changes to formatting (e.g., double-spacing or changing the margins).
  7. This feature allows you to add feedback to highlighted text. Your feedback will appear in the right-hand edits bar. [5]
  8. Whenever you delete or add a character, Microsoft Word will place a vertical red line next to the line of text in which the edit was made. [6]
  9. Your document has been successfully redlined! Clicking "Accept" removes the red ink and other formatting indicators. [7]
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Method 2
Method 2 of 2:

Redlining Manually

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  1. Manually redlining a document is preferable if you're editing a document in an outdated version of Word or if you want more control over which changes are displayed. Manual redlining is compatible with all versions of Word.
  2. This tab contains tools such as text bolding, italicizing, and underlining. The Home tab is in the blue toolbar at the top of the screen.
  3. It's located right next to the "Underline" button. You'll use strikethrough to cross out undesired text.
  4. It's marked as a capital "A" with a colored (usually black) bar underneath. You'll use this tool to write new text different-colored ink.
    • You can change the "Font Color" selection by clicking on the bar underneath "A", then selecting a new color from the drop-down menu.
  5. While text is highlighted, any tool you use will affect it--for example, clicking the "Font Color" button will change the highlighted text to whichever color the bar on the button is. [8]
  6. This will demonstrate recommended deletion of the highlighted content. [9]
  7. Otherwise, any following text that you type will automatically have a line through it.
  8. If you're retyping the strikethrough text, you'll want to do it in a different color than the default text.
  9. If your new text isn't a different color than the document's default text, change it to something highly visible (e.g., red or orange). This is your "editing" color.
  10. The line through the former text combined with your new, red-ink text will clearly show which text was "deleted" and the text replacing it.
  11. You need to clearly show which text you've added to the document.
    • For example, use your editing color if you add a semicolon to a run-on sentence.
  13. Your document has been successfully redlined!
    • You can also click "File" in the upper left-hand corner of the screen and select "Save".
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Community Q&A

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  • Question
    What does a wiggly green underline mean?
    Community Answer
    The green line is usually a grammatical error, or at least what Word considers a grammatical error.
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    Not Helpful 1 Helpful 1
  • Question
    How do you change the underlined words from red to black?
    Community Answer
    Right-click on the word and options will show. Click the correct one, and the word will be spelled correctly.
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    Not Helpful 4 Helpful 3
  • Question
    How do I get rid of red lining in a document to make it a clean copy?
    Community Answer
    The following is from Microsoft's OfficeSupport. "To delete the tracked changes permanently, accept or reject them. Word accepts the change or removes it and then moves to the next change. To accept all the changes at the same time, click the arrow by Accept and click Accept All Changes. To remove comments from your document, delete them."
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      • Manual redlining is perfect for small editing projects, like peer feedback in a classroom.
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      • If you're on a shared PC, you can lock the "Track Changes" feature with a password so other Word users can't make changes under your name.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/track-changes-in-word-197ba630-0f5f-4a8e-9a77-3712475e806a
      2. ↑ https://support.office.com/en-us/article/Track-changes-in-Word-197ba630-0f5f-4a8e-9a77-3712475e806a
      3. ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/video-track-changes-and-show-markup-3faf8a07-26ed-4b76-b6a0-43cca013e6d3
      4. ↑ http://www.pcworld.com/article/2861859/how-to-track-changes-in-microsoft-word-without-going-insane.html
      5. ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/video-track-changes-and-show-markup-3faf8a07-26ed-4b76-b6a0-43cca013e6d3
      6. ↑ https://guides.lib.umich.edu/c.php?g=283073&p=1886011
      7. ↑ https://guides.lib.umich.edu/c.php?g=283073&p=1886011
      8. ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-au/office/apply-or-remove-strikethrough-text-formatting-608ce6b6-13e4-42bc-834f-544375ab8295
      9. ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-au/office/apply-or-remove-strikethrough-text-formatting-608ce6b6-13e4-42bc-834f-544375ab8295

      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      1. Click the Review tab.
      2. Click Track Changes .
      3. Click Simple Markup .
      4. Click All Markup .
      5. Click Show Markup .
      6. Select options to show.
      7. Highlight text and select New Comment .
      8. Edit the document and click Accept .

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