Tracking changes and adding comments (track changes)

When you track changes, every edit becomes a suggestion: new text is shown in colour and deleted text is struck through. You then decide for each change whether to keep it. In Word this is called Track Changes. Tracked changes and comments are preserved in a docx when you pass it between Word, LibreOffice and Euro-Office.

In LibreOffice Writer

Set your name first: Tools > Options... > LibreOffice > User Data. Otherwise your changes will show no name or an unknown one.

Turn on tracking: choose Edit > Track Changes > Record. A tick appears next to it while it is on. Use Edit > Track Changes > Show to turn the colours on or off.

Accept or reject changes:

• One by one: choose Edit > Track Changes > Next and then Accept or Reject.
• In an overview: choose Edit > Track Changes > Manage.... The Manage Changes window shows all changes with their author and date. Choose Accept, Reject, Accept All or Reject All.

Add a comment: select the text and choose Insert > Comment (Ctrl + Alt + C). Comments appear in the margin, just like in Word. You can reply to or delete a comment via Edit > Comment, or by right-clicking the comment.

In Euro-Office

1. Go to the Collaboration tab and click Track Changes. Choose ON for me or ON for me and everyone.
2. Go through the changes with To next change and choose Accept or Reject.
3. You add a comment via the Collaboration tab; type @ followed by a name to mention a colleague.

Read more in Tracking and accepting changes and Adding comments and mentioning someone.

Before you send the document

Make sure the document no longer contains any changes, comments or names that the recipient should not see.

• LibreOffice: Edit > Track Changes > Accept All (or Reject All) and Edit > Comment > Delete All Comments. To also remove your name from the document properties, choose Tools > Options... > LibreOffice > Security, click Options... under the security options and tick Remove personal information on saving.
• Euro-Office: see Removing comments and changes before you send a document.