Recreate "change tracking"?

[Andrew25899629o8zx]

If I forgot to enable change tracking before beginning to make edits (75-page document containing text and images), can I retroactively generate the "change tracking" information using some sort of "Document compare" feature (as in MS Word)?  In other words, compare the current version of the InDesign "document" with the original?

[Steve Werner]

To see where you have "custom tracking/kerning" go to Preferences > Composition and check Composition > Custom Tracking/Kerning.

Text which has this applied will appear with blue-green highlighting:

[BobLevine · Accepted solution]

I think the OP is referring to track changes and the answer to the question is no, there's no straightforward way to do this. I suppose PDFs of both documents could be compared but even that isn't going help anyone go back in time and turn on track changes.

[Steve Werner]

Interesting, since I never use Track Changes, it didn't even occur to me. I could only think of manually changing tracking. You may be right.

[Andrew25899629o8zx]

Thanks, Bob.  I think I have to rely on PDF comparison for past changes, and on (enabled) change tracking for changes going forward.

[Shehbaz30972466isxm]

I apologize for any confusion, but Adobe InDesign does not have a built-in "change tracking" feature like the one found in MS Word. Therefore, it is not possible to retroactively generate change tracking information in InDesign.

However, if you have a backup or a previous version of the document, you can manually compare the current version with the original using visual inspection and make note of the changes. You can also use external tools or third-party plugins specifically designed for document comparison to assist you in identifying the differences between the versions.

It's worth noting that these external tools or plugins may have limitations and might not work seamlessly with InDesign files. Therefore, it is recommended to save backups and enable change tracking or version control before making significant edits to a document to ensure easier tracking and comparison of changes.