How to turn on Track Changes in Pages on Mac: steps for Pages 15.4

Track Changes is the Pages feature that marks every edit, so a reviewer can see what you changed. Deleted words stay visible with a strikethrough. New words show in a different color. You then accept the edits you keep and reject the rest. Turning it on takes one menu choice. The harder part is knowing when it's on, when it's paused, and how to switch it off without losing work. This page covers all of that, using the menu names from Apple's own Pages guide for Mac.

Check your Pages version first

Apple's Pages guide for Mac links its Track Changes steps to version 15.4. The What's new page lists 15.4 as the newest version, and it requires macOS 26 or later. To see your version, open Pages and choose Pages > About Pages. Compare the number in that window with the one above. The steps here match the guide Apple published for version 15.4. If your version is older, some menu names may differ, so check the guide for your release.

Where to find Track Changes in the menu bar

Track Changes sits in the Edit menu at the top of the screen. Click Edit, then click Track Changes. Pages does not open a dialog. The menu item switches tracking on directly, so there is nothing to confirm. If the review toolbar is already showing, Track Changes also appears there as a button. Both do the same thing. You only need one of them, so pick whichever fits how you work.

How to tell whether tracking is on

The quickest check is a small test edit. Type a word, then delete a word that was already in the document. With tracking on, the deletion stays visible with a strikethrough, and the new word shows in a different color. If the edit just vanishes, tracking is off or paused. Reject the test edits afterward to remove them. Rejecting the new word removes it, and rejecting the deletion brings the old word back. Run this test in a copy if the file matters to you.

Pause tracking without turning it off

Pausing and turning off are different actions. Pausing keeps tracking set up for the rest of the review. Move the slider in the review toolbar to Paused. Changes made while paused do not appear in the markup. Pause when you're setting up a layout or working on something outside the review. Be clear with your reviewers when you pause, so nobody thinks a silent edit is a bug. Move the slider back when you're done, or every later edit goes unmarked.

Turn Track Changes off the right way

Turning tracking off with changes still pending is the most common mistake. Apple's guide says every change must be accepted or rejected before you turn tracking off. Work through the list in the Comments & Changes pane first. Then open the Change Tracking menu button and choose Turn Off Tracking. The same menu also has Accept All Changes and Reject All Changes. Those clear the whole document in one move, so use them only when you're sure. Accepting all removes the markup, and you can't see the marks afterward.

Choose how changes appear on screen

The Change Tracking menu also controls what you see on the page. Markup shows the full review. Markup Without Deletions hides the struck-through text. Final shows the document as it would read with the changes in place. Tracking stays on in Final view, so the changes come back when you switch to another view. Switching views only changes the display. It doesn't change the text.

Accept and reject changes with shortcuts

Hover over a marked change and click Accept or Reject. To handle a longer passage, select the text and use the review toolbar. Two shortcuts speed this up, and both need tracking to be on. ⌥⌘A accepts a change. ⌥⌘R rejects one. Apple's list of Pages shortcuts also includes ⇧⌘K for a new comment and ⇧⌘H for highlighting text. It does not list a shortcut to turn Track Changes on or off, so that step stays in the menu.

What Track Changes marks and what it misses

Tracking covers body text, text in text boxes, text in shapes, and footnotes. Endnotes count too, including document and section endnotes. Apple's guide does not list other elements. Before you rely on the markup, test an edit in any element you're unsure about. If the edit doesn't show, tell your reviewers so they don't miss it.

Why some changes are missing from the sidebar

The Comments & Changes pane lists your changes. Open it from the View menu button by choosing Show Comments & Changes Pane. A filter can hide some changes. Those changes still appear in the document, but not in the sidebar. Click Show All to bring them back. Check the filter before you accept anything, because it's easy to forget after a long review.

Share a document with tracked changes

A document shared on iCloud with tracking on can be edited only by people using Pages on a Mac, iOS, or iPadOS device. People using Pages for iCloud can only view it. On an iPhone or iPad, a shared document opens in Final View with tracking hidden. Recipients must tap Edit to see the changes. Tell reviewers this before you send the link, so they don't think the changes are missing.

Pages for iCloud in a browser

The browser version can't turn tracking on. Apple's guide says people using Pages for iCloud can only view a tracked document. An older Take Control Books article, updated in 2019, says the browser version lets you view tracked changes but not edit the document, accept changes, or make a duplicate with changes accepted. That article may not describe the current browser app, so test it yourself before you rely on it. For editing and review, use the Mac app.

Do you need a subscription to use Track Changes?

No. Apple says you can keep using Keynote, Pages, Numbers, and Freeform for free without a Creator Studio subscription. Creator Studio costs $12.99 per month or $129 per year, and new subscribers get a one-month free trial. Pages 15.1 is a new app that is part of Creator Studio, not an update to the old app. Apple's install page also warns that keeping older versions installed can cause duplicate collaboration notifications.

Common mistakes people make with Track Changes

• Skipping the test edit. A quick test tells you in seconds whether tracking is on.
• Sending a file to a phone reviewer without a heads-up. The file opens in Final View with tracking hidden.
• Reading a document in Final view and assuming it's finished. Changes are still pending.
• Keeping an older Pages install next to the new one. Apple says that can cause duplicate notifications.
• Expecting the browser version to handle the review. It can't turn tracking on.
• Editing text outside the covered areas and assuming every edit is marked.

Next steps after your review

When the review ends, accept or reject every change, turn tracking off, then save the final version under a new name. Keep the marked-up draft as a separate file, so you can check who changed what later. If your document is long, read the guide to a table of contents in Pages on Mac. For more Pages habits, see Pages for writers on Mac.