Tracking changes from Word doc

@PLBCreative

How much time do you have? 

Missed Dave's reply. 

Pretty much the same idea - but it could be partially automated - and done in InDesign.

Wordsflow is a great plugin but it won't retrofit your current text. You would need to import the new Word document and reformat.

This is what I would do, assuming you are not using the plugin:

1. Export the InDesign document text into a Rich Text Format file (RTF).
2. Open the RTF file in MS Word and save as .docx file.
3. Use Compare Documents to see where the changes have been made (Revew tab>Compare group).
4. Edit your original document as needed, either directly or copy-and-paste added text.
5. PLACE your updated Word document back into InDesign. Be sure to show import options. AVOID pasting text, especially Word docs.
6. Since you exported the file from InDesign, it should be tagged with the ID's paragraph styles.
   (You ARE using paragraph and character styles, aren't you?)

In the future, you can format the text in Word using Word's paragraph and character styles. PLACE the Word document into InDesign and marry up the Word styles to InDesign styles--for example, Word's Heading 1 to InDesign's Subhead 1. Save the preset for future imports.

Hi @PLBCreative ,

the only workflow that I know of where changes of a placed and linked Word file could be updated without wrecking formatting on the InDesign side requires a 3rd-party plug-in that is not for free, but has a free test mode for 30 days:

WordsFlow Pro by EM Software

https://emsoftware.com/products/wordsflow/#try

So in the end, my answer is "no", there is no way for tracking changes in your case.

Regards,
Uwe Laubender
( Adobe Community Expert )