diff --git a/services/document-updater/app/js/HistoryManager.js b/services/document-updater/app/js/HistoryManager.js
index ba555a02f9..3950afeca6 100644
--- a/services/document-updater/app/js/HistoryManager.js
+++ b/services/document-updater/app/js/HistoryManager.js
@@ -162,7 +162,7 @@ module.exports = HistoryManager = {
 
     // if the doc_ops_length is undefined it means the project is not using track-changes
     // so we can bail out here
-    if (typeof doc_ops_length === 'undefined') {
+    if (Settings.disableTrackChanges || typeof doc_ops_length === 'undefined') {
       logger.debug(
         { project_id, doc_id },
         'skipping flush to track-changes, only using project-history'
diff --git a/services/document-updater/app/js/RedisManager.js b/services/document-updater/app/js/RedisManager.js
index b14af20fb0..d00a47f270 100644
--- a/services/document-updater/app/js/RedisManager.js
+++ b/services/document-updater/app/js/RedisManager.js
@@ -489,7 +489,10 @@ module.exports = RedisManager = {
               keys.docOps({ doc_id: docId }),
               RedisManager.DOC_OPS_TTL
             ) // index 6
-            if (projectHistoryType === 'project-history') {
+            if (
+              Settings.disableTrackChanges ||
+              projectHistoryType === 'project-history'
+            ) {
               metrics.inc('history-queue', 1, { status: 'skip-track-changes' })
               logger.debug(
                 { docId },
@@ -514,7 +517,10 @@ module.exports = RedisManager = {
             }
 
             let docUpdateCount
-            if (projectHistoryType === 'project-history') {
+            if (
+              Settings.disableTrackChanges ||
+              projectHistoryType === 'project-history'
+            ) {
               docUpdateCount = undefined // only using project history, don't bother with track-changes
             } else {
               // project is using old track-changes history service
diff --git a/services/document-updater/config/settings.defaults.js b/services/document-updater/config/settings.defaults.js
index 928f2a69e7..aef2565a56 100755
--- a/services/document-updater/config/settings.defaults.js
+++ b/services/document-updater/config/settings.defaults.js
@@ -180,11 +180,13 @@ module.exports = {
   },
 
   publishOnIndividualChannels:
-    process.env.PUBLISH_ON_INDIVIDUAL_CHANNELS || false,
+    process.env.PUBLISH_ON_INDIVIDUAL_CHANNELS === 'true',
 
-  continuousBackgroundFlush: process.env.CONTINUOUS_BACKGROUND_FLUSH || false,
+  continuousBackgroundFlush: process.env.CONTINUOUS_BACKGROUND_FLUSH === 'true',
 
   smoothingOffset: process.env.SMOOTHING_OFFSET || 1000, // milliseconds
 
-  disableDoubleFlush: process.env.DISABLE_DOUBLE_FLUSH || false, // don't flush track-changes for projects using project-history
+  disableDoubleFlush: process.env.DISABLE_DOUBLE_FLUSH === 'true', // don't flush track-changes for projects using project-history
+
+  disableTrackChanges: process.env.DISABLE_TRACK_CHANGES === 'true', // stop sending any updates to track-changes
 }