Tracked changes are a record of collaboration. That makes them valuable during review and easy to mishandle at delivery. A safe workflow keeps the working document intact and resolves markup in a separate final copy.
Keep the review history somewhere safe.
Save a delivery copy before accepting changes, deleting comments, or running Document Inspector. Microsoft recommends using a copy because removed information may not be recoverable.
Give it a stable filename and move only that copy into the delivery folder.
Accept or reject each tracked change.
Turn on All Markup so you can see the remaining revisions. Work through them one by one when judgment matters. Turning Track Changes off stops new tracking. It does not remove earlier changes.
proposal.docx / document.xmlResolve each revision in the delivery copy, then inspect the document again.
Check insertions, deletions, formatting changes, and changes from each reviewer.
It makes every tracked change part of the final document. That is faster, but it is still a decision.
Delete comments when the conversation is finished.
Resolved comments can remain in the document. Review each thread, confirm the decision reached the final text, then delete the comment from the delivery copy when it no longer belongs there.
Look for internal names, negotiation history, unapproved wording, and instructions to future editors.
Inspect hidden text, properties, and embedded data.
Open File, Info, Check for Issues, and Inspect Document. Review comments and revisions, document properties, email headers, routing data, headers and footers, hidden text, custom XML, and invisible content.
Document Inspector can remove several categories, but Microsoft also documents information it cannot remove. Read the result rather than treating Remove All as a universal cleanup button.
Search beyond the visible body text.
Check headers, footers, footnotes, endnotes, text boxes, tables, links, properties, and embedded objects for old client names, placeholders, provisional dates, unfinished task labels, private URLs, and missing required wording.
Confirm the recipient, scope, dates, currency, deliverables, pricing, and required legal or confidentiality text.
Close, reopen, and decide.
Reopen the exact DOCX file you will send. If you also deliver a PDF, review that PDF separately. Record the final filename and the reviewer. PASS means no issue was found under the stated checks. It is not a guarantee that the document is correct or accepted.
Markup is resolved and no issue was found under the checks you ran.
A comment, change, placeholder, or policy item needs context from its owner.
Unresolved review history, a secret, or a final-copy defect needs action before sending.