Turn on Track Changes before you start editing

To track changes in Excel, go to the Review tab at the top of the ribbon, then click Track Changes and select Highlight Changes. A dialog box will open. Check the box next to Track changes while editing, then click OK. From that moment forward, every edit you or anyone else makes to that file will be marked with a colored border and a small triangle in the corner of the cell.

The file must be saved before tracking starts. If you have unsaved changes, Excel will prompt you to save first. Once tracking is on, you cannot turn it off without accepting or rejecting all the changes that have accumulated — so only enable it when you are ready to monitor edits seriously.

Track Changes works best when the file is shared among a small group or passed between people one at a time. If many people edit the same file simultaneously in the cloud, Excel's co-authoring feature (which shows live cursors and changes) may be more practical than Track Changes.

Key Takeaways

  • Track Changes is found under the Review tab and must be turned on before edits begin; it records every change made after that point.
  • Each change appears with a colored border around the cell and a small triangle, and you can hover over it to see who made the change and when.
  • You must accept or reject every tracked change before you can turn off tracking, so use it only when you plan to review edits carefully.
  • Track Changes works better for files passed between people sequentially than for files edited by many people at once in real time.

Understand what the colored borders and triangles mean

When Track Changes is on, every cell that is edited gets a colored border — the color depends on who made the change. A small triangle (called a comment indicator) appears in the top-left corner of the cell. Hover your mouse over that triangle and a box will pop up showing the name of the person who edited it, the date and time, and what the old value was before the change.

If the same cell is edited multiple times, the triangle stays there, but the box will show all the edits in order. The cell itself displays the new value, not the old one — the old value only appears in the hover box. This means you can see what is currently in the spreadsheet while still knowing what was there before.

Review and accept or reject individual changes

To go through changes one by one, stay on the Review tab and click Track Changes, then select Accept/Reject Changes. A dialog box will open showing the first change. You can read what was changed, who changed it, and when. Then click either Accept to keep the change or Reject to undo it and restore the old value.

The dialog moves to the next change automatically after you choose. You can also click Accept All or Reject All to process every change at once, though this is risky if you have not reviewed them. Once you accept or reject a change, it is final — you cannot undo the decision from within the Track Changes dialog.

If you want to see all changes at a glance before accepting any, click Track Changes and then Highlight Changes again. The dialog lets you filter by who made the change, when it was made, or which cells were affected. This is useful when you have many edits and want to focus on a specific person's work or a specific time period.

Turn off tracking after all changes are resolved

Once you have accepted or rejected every change, you can turn off Track Changes. Go to Review > Track Changes > Highlight Changes and uncheck Track changes while editing. The colored borders and triangles will disappear, and the file will no longer record new edits.

If you try to turn off tracking while changes still exist, Excel will warn you and ask whether you want to accept all remaining changes before proceeding. If you click yes, all unapproved changes will be accepted automatically. If you click no, tracking stays on.

Know the limits of Track Changes in shared workbooks

Track Changes only works on files saved in the older Excel format (.xls) or in a shared workbook mode. Modern Excel files (.xlsx) do not support Track Changes directly. If you need to track changes in a .xlsx file, you must first convert it to a shared workbook, which has some limitations: you cannot use certain features like pivot tables, charts, or data validation while the file is shared.

For files stored in OneDrive, SharePoint, or Teams, Excel's co-authoring feature is usually better. It shows you in real time who is editing what, and you can see their cursor moving. Changes are saved automatically, and there is no separate accept/reject step. If you need the formal review process that Track Changes provides, you may need to work with the older shared workbook format or read the file to your computer.

Use Track Changes for document review workflows

Track Changes is most useful when one person sends a file to another for feedback, the second person makes edits, and the first person reviews them. For example, a manager might send a budget spreadsheet to a team member, who fills in numbers and formulas. The manager then sees exactly what was added or changed and can decide whether to keep each edit.

To make this workflow clear, always save the file with a new name before sending it for review — for example, "Budget_v1_for_review.xlsx". When it comes back with changes tracked, you know those changes are only the ones made during that review cycle. If you need multiple rounds of feedback, increment the version number each time.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I see who made each change?

Yes. Hover over the small triangle in the corner of any edited cell and a box appears showing the person's name, the date and time, and what the old value was. The name comes from the user account that was logged in when the change was made, so it only works if each person uses their own account.

What happens if I reject a change?

The cell returns to its previous value. If the cell was edited multiple times, rejecting one change does not undo the others — you review each change separately and decide on each one. Once rejected, the change is gone and cannot be recovered from the Track Changes dialog.

Can I track changes in a file that is already been edited?

No. Track Changes only records edits made after you turn it on. Any changes made before you enable tracking are not recorded. You must turn on tracking before people start editing if you want to capture all changes.

Does Track Changes work if multiple people edit the file at the same time?

Not well. Track Changes is designed for sequential editing — one person makes changes, sends the file, another person reviews it. If many people edit simultaneously, the file can become unstable and changes may not record correctly. Use co-authoring in OneDrive or SharePoint instead.

Can I print a list of all changes?

Excel does not have a built-in print function for the change log. You can take a screenshot of the Accept/Reject Changes dialog as you go through each one, or copy the information manually into a separate document if you need a record.