How to Clear Formatting in MS Word Track Changes

Redlining can be frustrating when you're not sure how to use MS Word's Track Changes features. My name is?Nada Alnajafi . I'm a seasoned in-house attorney, author, and blogger who loves working with contracts and talking about redlines. Pretty nerdy, right? ????

Well I'm here to share some redlining tips, tricks, and workarounds with you so that you can stop getting distracted by redlining frustrations and start getting more focused on the heart of the negotiation! These tips are for folks who use MS Word Track Changes on a PC. Subscribers will get a notification every Tuesday with one actionable redlining tip.

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In my previous post, I showed you how to *hide* formatting changes.

But what if you want to *accept or clear* all formatting changes so that they're gone once and for all?

We usually get to this point when:

1) we are preparing the final version for execution;

2) the document has become so convoluted with redlines or formatting changes that it is necessary to clear all formatting changes and reset so we can see the substantive changes more clearly; or

3) when we need to soothe our Type A souls from all the clutter that we know is hiding behind the front curtain.

Here's how to accept or clear all formatting changes from your contract when using MS Word Track Changes.

STEPS:

1. Go to the Show Markup menu and click on the drop down arrow.

2. Uncheck "Comments."

3. Uncheck "Insertions and Deletions."

4. Check "Formatting." Now only your formatting changes will appear on the screen.

5. Then, click on the Accept drop down arrow.

6. Select "Accept All Changes Shown."

REDLINING TIP:

If you are preparing the final version for execution, then clearing all formatting changes is a given. But if you are clearing formatting changes midway through the negotiation, be sure that all parties are in agreement before doing so.

To do this, you can note the draft as such via email to the parties and within the file name. For example, in the file name you can add "formatting cleared."

Redlining is a negotiation process and all parties involved in the negotiation should be following the same process.

If you're interested in learning more about redlining best practices and contracts in general, check out my newest book?Contract Redlining Etiquette ?(also available in India now!) and?subscribe to the Contract Nerds ?blog. It's safe to say that I'm a total #contractnerd! Are you?