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Elvin333's avatar
Elvin333
Copper Contributor
Dec 13, 2021

Posible to copy/paste a text with visable changes?

Hi. 

 

I'm editing a manuscript in Word with the "Track changes"-function activated. Does anybody know if it's possible to copy a text from one document and paste it into another and keep the red-marked changes in the text? 

When I try to do this, the text follows into the new document. The changes I've made stays in the text, but they are no longer visible.  

 

Elin

  • Hello Elvin333 ,

    the function you are looking for is called the "Spike".

    1. Have your target document opened. 

    2. Go to your source document, select the text you want to copy. 

    3. Press Ctrl+F3. The text will be essentially deleted from the source document: don't panic.

    4. Go to target document, press Ctrl+Shift+F3. 

    5. Go back to your source document and hit Ctrl+Z for undo to undelete the source text.

     

    The Spike was programmed for other purposes, but it's the only native Word function I know that can move trackchanges and comments.

     

  • What are you wanting to do? If it is just to compile a document with the containing details of the changes, you could make screen captures and paste them into another document.
  • RSMcA6's avatar
    RSMcA6
    Copper Contributor
    By accident, I discovered that I can block a section of text containing tracked changes, then use the mouse to drag and drop the block in another place in the document, and the tracked changes are preserved. If I have another Word document open on the screen (or on a second screen), I can even drag the text to the other document (still preserving the tracked changes). The undo function (ctrl-Z) restores the tracked-changes text that was moved to its original position and deletes it from its destination, even from a different document. if it is important to retain the integrity of the original document with tracked changes, work from a copy to drag and drop.

    This also works with text created using Compare Documents, that shows the differences between two documents.

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