Imagine that you have a shared spreadsheet with multiple editors. Or, you might want to retrace your own changes later on. Excel has a feature for this called track changes. Let’s learn how to use track changes in Microsoft Excel.
How to Install Track Changes in Excel
By default, the track changes command doesn’t display on Excel’s ribbon. But fortunately, it’s easy to add. To begin, go to the Excel dropdown in the far upper left corner, and click on it. Choose Preferences.
You’ll see the Excel Preferences window appear, with a variety of options on it. You’ll want to click Ribbon & Toolbar.
In the right sidebar, underneath Customize the Ribbon, scroll down and click on the Review check to ensure it’s selected.
Then, click on the + button underneath the list, and click on New Group from the dropdown. This creates a new group where you can add the Track Changes function.
On the left sidebar, under Choose Commands, select Main Tabs from the dropdown. Then, in the tree below, open Review > Changes > Track Changes (Legacy). Finally, click on the > arrow in the middle to add it to your group. Finally, click Save.
How to Use Track Changes in Excel
On Excel’s Review tab, you’ll now see a Track Changes (Legacy) dropdown. To fully activate track changes, click on the dropdown and choose Highlight Changes. Finally, click on the Track Changes While Editing checkbox. Press OK.
Type in a few words and numbers somewhere in your spreadsheet. You’ll see a blue mark appear in the upper left corner of each. When you hover over this mark, you’ll see Excel display a quick summary of the changes you made, along with the name of the user making the changes.
This is a quick way to monitor and trace changes made to any spreadsheet in Excel.
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