Word: Jump to next Track Change with keyboard

If you use Word’s Track Changes, you’re probably familiar with the Review tab (Word 2007) or the Reviewing toolbar (Word 2003), and the buttons to skip to the next change to review it.

Word 2007: Changes group on the Review tab, showing Next and Previous buttons

Word 2003: Next (and Previous) buttons on the Reviewing toolbar

The problem is, sometimes you need to make other edits in between accepting or rejecting changes, or need to add further comments. Moving your mouse back up to that Next button becomes tedious very quickly.

What you need is a keyboard shortcut for skipping to the next change. There isn’t one set by default in Word, so you need to create your own.

Here’s how…

Word 2007

1. Click the small drop-down arrow at the very right of your Quick Access Toolbar (QAT).
   
2. Select More Commands.
   
3. Click the Customize button.
   
4. On the Customize Keyboard window, select the Review Tab from the Categories list (1 in the screen shot below), then select NextChangeOrComment from the Commands list (2).
   
5. Put your cursor in the Press new shortcut key field, then press the key combination you want to use for this action (3). (In the example above, I pressed Alt and c — you can press whatever key combination you think you will remember easily. Just make sure that it’s not currently assigned to another action by checking the Currently assigned to information below the Current keys box).
6. Click Assign (4), then click Close (5).

You’re now ready to use this keyboard shortcut for skipping to the next Track Change in your document.

Word 2003

1. Go to Tools > Customize on the menu.
2. Select the Commands tab.
3. Click the Keyboard button (bottom of the dialog box).
4. Select All Commands from the Categories list (1 in the screen shot below).
5. Select NextChangeOrComment from the Commands list (2).
   
6. Put your cursor in the Press new shortcut key field, then press the key combination you want to use for this action (3). (In the example above, I pressed Alt and c — you can press whatever key combination you think you will remember easily. Just make sure that it’s not currently assigned to another action by checking the Currently assigned to information below the Current keys box).
7. Click Assign (4), then click Close (5).

You’re now ready to use this keyboard shortcut for skipping to the next Track Change in your document.