How to Redline in Word: Enhancing Document Review with Redline Track Changes

Jessica B.

Seasoned technical writer giving you top Salesforce Tips.

Updated: Jan 13th, 2025

What is a Redline Document?

Redline documents are Word documents that show edits, revisions, and changes that were made to a previous version of the same document. Redlined revisions are often used for documentation that requires multiple revisions, for example, legal documents, contracts, regulations, technical manuals, and text-based materials.

Redline documents can make it easy for readers to track and understand the changes made to the document from the prior revision. There are four main areas of focus when redlining a document in Word:

First, there are the additions which are often indicated in red or a contrasting color. This is where the term redline comes from. By using such a high-contrast color, it makes it clear what has been added to the current version of the document.

Deletions refer to any text that has been removed from the previous revision and are indicated by showing a straight line.

Modifications and changes made to existing text are marked in a way to highlight what specific changes are made, for example underlining, bolding, and use of different font colors.

Comments and annotations are used to provide additional explanations and context for what changes were made to the document.

Redlining documents are commonly used during the negotiation or review stages of contracts as they allow each party to clearly see what changes have been made to the document for each iteration. This practice is used throughout a variety of industries, for example, engineering where specs and technical documents are revised over time. By clearly indicating to stakeholders what changes are being made to the document, it can help readers understand the need for these changes which maintains document integrity.

How to Redline a Document in Word?

When creating a document using Microsoft Word you can enable the Track Changes feature to redline a document as it goes through revisions and changes. The feature enables you to insert comments, make edits, and highlight changes in a way that is visually different from the original text.

We’ve summarized how you can use the Track Changes feature to redline a document that requires multiple revisions.

Step 1: Open the document that requires redlining in Microsoft Word.

Step 2: Navigate to the Review tab to find the Track Changes feature. You can find the Review tab in the top ribbon.

Step 3: To enable the Track Changes feature, click the button found under the Tracking group. This automation will enable the feature and Word will start tracking any changes made to the document.

Step 4: You can start making changes to your document as required this can include edits, insertions, and deletions. Any changes you make will be annotated and highlighted.

Step 5: To give context to the changes you have made, add comments to the document. Select the text you want to comment on and click the New Comment button found under the Comments grouping in the Review tab. You can also right-click on the highlighted text and select New Comment from the popup menu.

Step 6: After the changes are made to the document, you can review them by navigating through the document. You can choose whether to accept or reject the changes by right-clicking on the edited text and choosing the option that applied. This will either incorporate the change into the document or remove it completely.

Step 7: After you’ve worked through all the changes and comments and the document is ready to be finalized, you can turn the Track Changes feature off.

Step 8: It is best practice to save the document with a new file name or a version number. You should keep a copy of the redlined and final versions.

By following the above steps you can use the Track Changes to effectively redline your documents. These tools are particularly useful when it comes to collaborating on documents such as contracts and academic papers to ensure all changes are tracked.

How to Enhance the Word Experience

You can redline, edit, and comment on any of your important contracts as well as track each step inside your Salesforce using Titan’s no-code Contract Lifecycle Management. To make negotiating simple, you can easily collaborate via Word using their redlining and commenting tools. You never need to feel stuck or restricted because you can also add collaborators at any stage of the contract lifecycle. By implementing Titan you can stop spending so much time in boardrooms, making calls, and nagging clients for repetitive meetings. Digitizing your contracts and automating Salesforce actions means your documents are more secure and you get the added bonus of cutting down on manual work.