>I changed something in a Word document and it now always tracks changes. I need to turn that off. When I apply final changes and reload the document, I see all the changes. How can I have that turned off permanently?

Probably this may help:
*-------------------------------------------from MS Word 2003 Help
•If you turn off change tracking in a document and change tracking is turned on when you reopen the document, you may need to modify the file properties. On the File menu, click Properties, and then click the Custom tab. In the Properties box, click each item, click Delete, and then close the document. When you open the document again, change tracking is turned off
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All the Best