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In Excel, users often use large data sets for analysis. In those data sets, they have to make changes from time to time. If they can keep any track record of the changes, then it will be easier for their future analysis. In Excel, there is a feature named “Track Changes” which keeps and shows all the changes made on the worksheet. So, in this article, we will show you how to enable track changes in Excel.
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Step-by-Step Procedures to Enable Track Changes in Excel
The Track Changes feature of Excel is mainly used for keeping track of changes made on the worksheet and showing them from time to time. But this feature is not directly available in Excel. Users must select this feature from the options first and then use it. In this article, you will see the step-by-step procedures of how to enable track changes in Excel. Also, you will see how to add the feature from the option and its many customizations.
Step 1: Customizing Review Tab from Ribbon
To use this feature, you first have to add it to the Review tab. For that,
- Firstly, go to the Review tab of the ribbon.
- Then right-click on the tab and select Customize the Ribbon.
Step 2: Generating New Group from Excel Options
Now you have to generate a new group to include track changes. To do that,
- Firstly, go to the Customize Ribbon tab in the Excel Options dialogue box.
- Then, in the Main Tabs, select New Groups.
Step 3: Renaming New Group
In this step, we will rename the newly created group. For that,
- Firstly, choose the Rename command from the dialogue box.
- Then, in the Rename dialogue box, type Track Changes in the Display name type box.
- Thirdly, press OK.
Step 4: Selecting All Commands
Furthermore, we have to add the Track Changes command to our newly created group. For that,
- Select All Commands in the drop-down box under the Choose commands from headings.
Step 5: Inserting Commands from All Commands
In this step, we have to insert all the commands related to tracking changes. To do that,
- Firstly, from the All Commands drop-down, find and select the Track Changes (Legacy) command.
- Then, press the Add option from the dialogue box.
- Secondly, from the drop-down choose the Share Workbook (Legacy) command and select Add.
Step 6: Turning On Track Changes
In the last step to turn on track changes, do the following.
- Finally, press OK after selecting All Commands and placing them.
- Consequently, you will be able to use the Track Changes command from now on.
Step 7: Preparing Data Set
After finishing the preparatory steps, we will now start our main procedure. To apply the track changes,
- First of all, take the following data set.
- Here, we have three columns of data containing the names, ages, and monthly salaries of some random people.
Step 8: Using Review Tab
To enable us to see any track change in the worksheet, we have to complete some steps.
- Firstly, go to the Review tab of the ribbon.
- Then, click on the Track Changes (Legacy) command.
Step 9: Choosing Track Changes Command from Review Tab
In this step, we have to select some more commands. To do that,
- Firstly, after choosing the option, you will see two more commands.
- From there, select the Highlight Changes… command.
Step 10: Checking Options from Highlight Changes Dialog Box
Then, we will see a new dialogue box named “Highlight Changes.” We have to check some options here. For doing that,
- First of all, mark the option Track changes while editing.
- Then, in the When type box select All and mark the option.
- After that, in the Who dialogue box select Everyone and mark the option.
- Finally, press OK.
Step 11: Viewing Changes in Worksheet
After the previous step, you can view the changes made to your worksheet. For example,
- First of all, we will change some values in the column named “Monthly Salary”.
- Then, after making the changes, you will be able to track the changes.
Read More: [Solved]: Track Changes Greyed Out in Excel (3 Quick Fixes)
Customizing Track Changes Feature in Excel
In our above procedure, you have seen how to enable track changes in Excel. Aside from this, we can do some more tricks with this feature. There are some customizations you can do while keeping track on changes.
1. Displaying Earlier Changes Made Through History Sheet
If you want to see all the changes made on your sheet , then you can follow the following steps.
Step 1:
- Firstly, go to the Track Changes (Legacy) command from the Review tab.
- Then, from there, choose Highlight Changes….
Step 2:
- Secondly, the Highlight Changes dialogue box will appear.
- From there, select Since I last saved in the When type box and mark the option.
- Then, in the Who type box select Everyone and check the option.
- Thirdly, mark the option List changes on a new sheet.
- Finally, press OK.
Step 3:
- Finally, the History Sheet will open and you will be able to see all the changes made on the main worksheet.
Read More: How to Check Edit History in Excel Online (With Simple Steps)
2. Accepting or Rejecting Changes
If you don’t need all the changes to be shown in the worksheet, then you can use the extra feature, which is Accept/Reject Changes. To do that, follow the following steps.
Step 1:
- First of all, go to the Review tab on the ribbon.
- Then, choose the Track Changes (Legacy) option from the Track Changes group.
- Lastly, select Accept/Reject Changes.
Step 2:
- Secondly, in the Select Changes to Accept or Reject, we need to choose some options.
- Firstly, in the When type box, select Not yet reviewed.
- Then, in the Who type box, select Everyone.
- Thirdly, mark the above two type box.
- Lastly, press OK.
Step 3:
- Finally, you will see the Accept or Reject Changes dialogue box.
- Here, you will find all the changes from your worksheet.
- Consequently, select Accept or Reject to keep or discard the changes respectively.
Read More: How to See Who Made Changes in Excel (6 Easy Methods)
3. Giving Time Limits to Track Changes
If you don’t want to keep track of your changes for a long period of time, then you can customize the feature by following the below steps.
Step 1:
- Firstly, go to the Review tab of the ribbon.
- Then from the Track Changes group, choose the Share Workbook (Legacy) command.
Step 2:
- Secondly, you will find a dialogue box named Share Workbook after choosing the command.
- Then, go into the Advanced tab of the dialogue box.
- After that, under the Track changes dialogue select the option Keep change history for.
- Here, select your desired amount of days for which you will keep the change history.
- Finally, press OK.
4. Disabling Track Changes in Excel
Finally, in our last customization step, you will see how to disable track changes if you no longer need them. Go through the following steps for that purpose.
Step 1:
- First of all, from the Review tab go to the Track Changes group.
- Then, select Highlight Changes….
Step 2:
- Secondly, in the Highlight Changes dialogue box, then, unmark the option Track changes while editing.
- Finally, press OK.
Step 3:
- Finally, we will see no track changes in your workbook.
Read More: How to Use Formula to Track Cell Changes in Excel (with Easy Steps)
Conclusion
That’s the end of this article. I hope you find this article helpful. After reading this article, you will be able to enable track changes in Excel by following the above steps. Please share any further queries or recommendations with us in the comments section below.
