OmniDocChange Track Changes Colors and Font Colour in Word
Learn how to recolor insertions, deletions and formatting marks in Word's track changes, and how to check that the new colors work before you share the file.
If you have opened a Word file with a redline and found the insertions and deletions hard to read, the colors are probably the problem. A bright red that works on screen may look muddy in print, and a pale blue can disappear against a colored template. Changing the colors is a quick fix, but the setting is easy to miss because it lives in Word's markup options rather than in the document itself.
This guide is for anyone who edits or reviews Word documents and wants track changes to show clearly. It covers the three colors you can set for markup: insertions, deletions and formatting changes. It does not cover the author label or the on-screen display toggles, which are separate controls with their own steps.
You will get a short answer, a list of checks to make before you start, numbered steps for changing the colors in Word, and a way to confirm the result. OmniDoc does not change track changes colors, so you will do the work in Word and use OmniDoc only if you later need to compare or share a PDF version.
How do you change Word track changes colors? The short answer
Open the track changes markup options in Word, set a separate color for insertions, deletions and formatting changes, then confirm the dialog and check a few pages.
| Your situation | What to do | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Insertions blend into the body text | Set a darker, more saturated color for insertions | New text stands out at a glance |
| Deletions are hard to spot in print | Choose a deletion color that differs clearly from insertions | Removed text stays distinct from added text |
| Formatting edits clutter the page | Set a separate color for formatting changes | Style edits don't get mixed up with text edits |
| The file will be printed in grayscale | Use dark tones and test one printed page | Pale colors can vanish on a black-and-white printer |
| Reviewers report different colors | Ask each person to match the same options | Color settings belong to each Word installation |
Before you start
Check these points so the change does what you expect.
- Confirm the file is open in the Word app you use for editing. Colors are set in the app, so a file viewed in a different program may not show your settings.
- Decide what the colors need to do. A color for on-screen review may differ from one that must print clearly. Choosing this first prevents repeated changes.
- Know that colors don't change the text. They are display settings, so your words and edits stay the same. This matters if the file is under review.
- Remember the scope. The author label and display toggles are not covered here. If the label is what you want to change, look for it as a separate setting.
- Plan a test. Print or export one page with several insertions and deletions. A small test catches a color that looks fine on screen but fails on paper.
Changing the track changes colors in Word, step by step
The exact layout of Word's options changes between versions, so follow the general sequence and look for the matching controls.
- Open the Word document you want to recolor. Your color changes apply to the markup you see in your copy, so start with the file that has the redline.
- Turn on the markup view. You need to see insertions and deletions to judge contrast, so make sure track changes markup is visible before you start.
- Open the track changes options from the markup settings. Word groups the color controls under the markup options. Look for an advanced or options section that lists insertions, deletions and formatting.
- Set the color for insertions. Pick a color with strong contrast against a white page. This is the setting most people mean by insertion font colour, since it controls the color of new text.
- Set the color for deletions. Use a color that is clearly different from the insertion color. Deleted text should read as removed, not as another kind of addition.
- Set the color for formatting changes. Choose a separate color so formatting edits, such as bold or font changes, don't blend into text edits.
- Confirm the dialog and scroll through a few pages. Check the markup at normal zoom. A color that looks strong in the dialog can look different in the document.
Changing the color is not the same as highlighting text. A highlight is a formatting choice inside the document, while the track changes color is a markup setting. If you highlight a word to draw attention, it stays highlighted even after you reset the track changes colors.
Check the result
Run these checks after you save the settings, before you send the file to anyone.
| Check | How to see it | If it's wrong |
|---|---|---|
| Insertions stand out | Scroll a page with several new sentences | Pick a darker or more saturated color |
| Deletions read as removed | Look at a few struck-through sentences | Change the deletion color so it differs from insertions |
| Formatting edits are distinct | Apply a bold or font change to one word and look at it | Adjust the formatting color |
| Colors survive printing | Print one page, or export a PDF and view it | Switch to darker tones that hold up in grayscale |
| Reviewers see the same colors | Ask one reviewer to open the file and describe what they see | Have them match your options in their own Word |
If you export the file to PDF for sharing, the PDF shows the colors as they looked when you exported. If you later need to compare two PDF versions, OmniDoc's PDF editor includes a compare feature, though it works on the PDFs rather than on Word's track changes settings.
❓ FAQ
1. Why didn't my track changes font color change after I set it?
Check that you changed the insertion or deletion setting in the markup options, not a highlight on the text. Also confirm you clicked to apply the dialog, since a closed window without confirming can leave the old colors in place.
2. Can I change the color of the author name?
The author label is a separate setting and this article doesn't cover it. You'll need its own steps, and changing it does not affect the insertion or deletion colors you set here.
3. Does changing the colors alter my document's text?
No. Track changes colors are display settings, so the words, edits and comments stay the same. Only the way the markup looks on screen or on paper changes.
4. What if I need the markup to print in black and white?
Choose dark, saturated colors and avoid pale tones, which can turn into light gray on a grayscale printer. Print one test page with insertions, deletions and formatting changes before you print the full document.
📝 Summary
Changing word track changes colors takes a few settings in Word's markup options, and each one applies to insertions, deletions or formatting changes. Set distinct colors, check them on screen and in print, and ask reviewers to confirm they see the same thing. Author labels and display toggles need separate steps, which you can handle once the markup colors are working.
