Using Track Changes
in Microsoft Word
with JAWS
Tested in Windows 10 with Office 365
In this guide, we will cover how to use the Track Changes feature in
Microsoft Word with JAWS. When enabled, Track Changes allows a user to
review document edits and comments made by other users. It can be a
helpful feature when working collaborative on a document with classmates
or when getting feedback from a teacher. Changes made to the text in a
document are called revisions.
Note: Keys are pressed simultaneously if they are shown with a plus sign
(+) between them and are pressed sequentialy if shown with a comma (,)
between them.
Note: The JAWS key may be either INSERT or CAPS LOCK, depending on
how JAWS is configured.
Note: All features mentioned in this guide can be accessed through the
ribbon that runs along the top of the screen. Some features also have a
keyboard shortcut that bypasses the need to use the ribbon, and some also
have JAWS commands that accomplish the same task. When available, all
three methods of accessing a feature are included in this guide.
ENABLING TRACK CHANGES
Track changes can be toggled on and off (enabled or disabled) by pressing
CONTROL + SHIFT + E.
Track Changes can also be turned on (and off)
by using the ribbon:
• Press ALT + R to move to the Review
ribbon.
• Press G to move to the Track Changes
split button.
• Press G again to select Track Changes
from the menu.
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To turn Track Changes off, press either of the above commands a second
time.
Note: The above ribbon commands will not work if the Virtual Ribbon Menu
feature is enabled in JAWS. If this feature is enabled, JAWS will say, “Virtual
ribbons, Review tab” instead of “Upper ribbon, ribbon, Review tab,” when
the ribbon is activated.
TEXT REVISIONS
Once Track Changes has been turned on, Word displays revisions made to
the documents as coloured text that is either underlined or has a
strikethrough.
Text that has been inserted will appear in a blue,
underlined font. JAWS will say “insertion” before
reading the inserted text and “end insertion” after the
inserted text.
Text that has been deleted will appear in a blue,
strikethrough font. JAWS will say “deletion” before
reading the deleted text and “end deletion” after
reading the deleted text.
Text that has been changed (deleted and replaced
with new text) will appear in a blue font. The original
text will have a strikethrough, and the inserted text
will be underlined. JAWS will say “deletion” before
reading the deleted text, “insertion” before reading
the inserted text, and “end insertion” after reading the
inserted text.
JAWS will announce revisions as they are encountered while reading or
navigating a document. However, users can also jump directly from one
revision to the next using the ribbon or using JAWS commands.
To use the ribbon:
• Next revision ALT + R, H, 1
• Previous revision ALT + R, F
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JAWS also provides commands to move between revisions. To use the
previous and next revision command, the Quick Keys feature must be
enabled in JAWS.
• Toggle Quick Keys on/off JAWS + Z
• Next revision R
• Previous revision SHIFT + R
• List revisions JAWS + SHIFT + R
• Close list of revisions ESCAPE
When using the JAWS list revisions feature, press ENTER on a comment to
move to it in the document text.
ACCEPTING AND REJECTING CHANGES
If working collaboratively on a document, revisions made by other users can
be accepted or rejected. This can be done through the context menu or
through the ribbons. Accepting a revision will add it to the document, while
rejecting a revision will delete it from the document. Using the ribbon will
also automatically move the cursor to the next revision.
To use the context menu:
• With the text cursor on the revision, press the APPLICATION key or
SHIFT + F10 to open the context menu
• Use the DOWN ARROW key or E to move to Accept Deletion or
Accept Deletion
• Use the DOWN ARROW key or R to move to Reject Insertion or
Reject Deletion
• Press ENTER
To use the ribbon:
• Press ALT + R, A, 2, M to accept the current revision and move to the
next one
• Press ALT + R, J, M to reject the current revision and move to the
next one.
The ribbon can also be used to accept or reject all revisions within a
document. To accept all revisions within a document, press ALT + R, A, 1,
L. To reject all revisions within a document, press ALT + R, J, M.
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COMMENTS
Users can insert comments and review comments made by others. This can
be very useful for reviewing teacher and peer feedback or for working as a
group on the same document. JAWS will announced “has comment” when a
word or phrase has a comment associated with it. To read the comment,
press ALT + SHIFT + APOSTROPHE while the text cursor is within a
highlighted area.
Moving between comments can either be done with the ribbon or with JAWS
commands.
To use the ribbon:
• Previous comment ALT + R, V
• Next comment ALT + R, N
Using these commands will place the cursor within the comment and JAWS
will read the text of the comment. Users will need to move back to the
document text with ESCAPE to read the comment in context.
To use JAWS to move between comments the Quick Keys feature must be
enabled:
• Toggle Quick Keys on/off JAWS + Z
• Next comment N
• Previous comment SHIFT + N
• List comments CONTROL + SHIFT + APOSTROPHE
• Close list of comments ESCAPE
When using the JAWS list comments feature, press ENTER on a comment to
move to it in the document text.
To insert a comment, press CONTROL + ALT + M. The ribbon can be used
by pressing ALT + R, C, 1.
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Note: If using the Windows Magnifier accessibility feature, the keyboard
shortcut CONTROL + ALT + M conflicts with a Magnifier command, so use
the ribbon command instead.
Users can reply to comments made by others by using the APPLICATION
key or SHIFT + F10 to open the context menu (with the text cursor on the
comment, or from within a comment) and selecting Reply. A comment can
also be marked as resolved or deleted from the same context menu.
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