Is there a Word expert among us?

[Hawkmoon]

I need some help. I was sent a document that is FILLED with mark-up and change tracking data. I know how to hide it, but every time I open the document again, that stuff is displayed. If I'm not careful, it also tries to print that when I print.

The thing is, I'm not in the document creating  and editing team. It was sent to me for use as a source document. I want to remove all that extraneous information. I have looked on-line for an answer, but every article that claims to explain how to remove it ... doesn't. All they tell me is how to hide it.

I want that stuff GONE. Is there a way to do that?

[zxcvbob]

I'm not an expert but I know what you're talking about.  Here's what I found:  https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/hide-markup-and-comments-in-word-2e998c33-c097-52e0-9b59-7f588d9c34a5
TL;DR: you need to finalize the document, either accept or reject all the changes.  (I've never done that)

It also might work to export it to another format that doesn't support markups, like maybe Rich Text Format?  Or you can "publish" it to PDF.

[K Frame]

As far as I know, if there are tracked changes in a document, Word will always open with those changed displayed, no matter what display state the document was in when it was last saved/closed.

If you just want to hide the changes temporarily you  go into the Review ribbon and click Track Changes (in the Tracking group) to unhighlight it and then, in the same group, click the arrow next to All Markup and select either Simple Markup or No Markup.

As Bob says, if you want to get rid of it permanently, you have to either Accept All or Reject All. Those options are in the Changes group.

[Hawkmoon]

As far as I know, if there are tracked changes in a document, Word will always open with those changed displayed, no matter what display state the document was in when it was last saved/closed.

If you just want to hide the changes temporarily you  go into the Review ribbon and click Track Changes (in the Tracking group) to unhighlight it and then, in the same group, click the arrow next to All Markup and select either Simple Markup or No Markup.

As Bob says, if you want to get rid of it permanently, you have to either Accept All or Reject All. Those options are in the Changes group.

I learned how to hide them. That, as you noted, doesn't prevent them from showing up again the next time you open the file.

I'll try the accept/reject route and see what that does. Thanks. I assume if I want to be working with the latest iteration he sent that I should accept all?

[K Frame]

"That, as you noted, doesn't prevent them from showing up again the next time you open the file."

My guess is that that is something of a fail safe feature to let users know that things may need to be addressed.


"I assume if I want to be working with the latest iteration he sent that I should accept all?"

That would get you about as close as anything. The safest thing would be to reach out to him and find out if he or the SME actually agrees with all of those changes.

[zxcvbob]

"That, as you noted, doesn't prevent them from showing up again the next time you open the file."

My guess is that that is something of a fail safe feature to let users know that things may need to be addressed.


"I assume if I want to be working with the latest iteration he sent that I should accept all?"

That would get you about as close as anything. The safest thing would be to reach out to him and find out if he or the SME actually agrees with all of those changes.

IMHO, make a backup of the file and write-protect it.  Now you can change whatever you want and still get back to the original when you screw it up.  (one reason for the write protection is so you know it's the original)

[Hawkmoon]

IMHO, make a backup of the file and write-protect it.  Now you can change whatever you want and still get back to the original when you screw it up.  (one reason for the write protection is so you know it's the original)

I'm more than a little upset by the entire debacle. When I volunteered to take on the task of doing a final format of this document for printing, I was under the impression that I would receive the final, edited and proofed manuscript. What I was sent was only "final" because that was where the author had stopped working on it. It included a number of places where he wanted images inserted -- naturally, the insertion note placeholders weren't named the same as the file names for the images. Oh, and the images hadn't been cropped, so I had to do that, as well.

And then, when I sent him the final product (in a PDF, which is what was needed) he wanted edits. And after that was done and sent -- he came back with more edits.

I've been out of the Army too long. I forgot the real prime directive: "NEVER VOLUNTEER."

[zxcvbob]

I'm more than a little upset by the entire debacle. When I volunteered to take on the task of doing a final format of this document for printing, I was under the impression that I would receive the final, edited and proofed manuscript. What I was sent was only "final" because that was where the author had stopped working on it. It included a number of places where he wanted images inserted -- naturally, the insertion note placeholders weren't named the same as the file names for the images. Oh, and the images hadn't been cropped, so I had to do that, as well.

And then, when I sent him the final product (in a PDF, which is what was needed) he wanted edits. And after that was done and sent -- he came back with more edits.

I've been out of the Army too long. I forgot the real prime directive: "NEVER VOLUNTEER."

Or do exactly what you volunteered to do.  You're the publisher, not the editor.  Assume the author *wants* all the mistakes; publish it as-is.

[Devonai]

I've been out of the Army too long. I forgot the real prime directive: "NEVER VOLUNTEER."

You need more savvy clientele, or at least, paying customers.

[K Frame]

Or do exactly what you volunteered to do.  You're the publisher, not the editor.  Assume the author *wants* all the mistakes; publish it as-is.

He's not editing. He's doing composition/publishing. The author is doing the editing. Which should have been done already.

There's certainly no shame in turning the entire thing back over to him and saying "Get in touch when you have a completed, final, ready to composit for publication version. Not something that needs more and more edits. Oh, and match the image place holder with the names of the files, or you're going to get my best guess. And I'm a shitty guesser."

I've done that multiple times in my career. Only I was being paid. I hadn't volunteered.