What is version history in Excel?
Version history in Excel allows users to track changes made to Excel files over time. It records each version of the file so you can view or restore previous versions if needed.
The main purpose of version history is to give users more control over changes made to their spreadsheets. With version history enabled, Excel saves a snapshot of the file each time it’s saved. These file versions are stored in the cloud (OneDrive or SharePoint) and accessible through Excel’s version history pane.
The version history pane shows a timeline of when edits were made, allowing you to browse through previous file iterations. You can view, restore, or delete old versions as needed. This provides protection against accidental changes or file corruption.
Overall, version history acts like a filing system for Excel spreadsheet revisions. It gives visibility into changes over time and lets you revert to milestone versions if something goes wrong (source).
When was version history introduced?
Version history in Excel was first introduced in Excel 2013 and Excel Online in November 2012. It allows users to view or restore previous versions of a workbook. This provides a way to revert changes and recover old versions in case a file gets accidentally edited or corrupted.
Version history is only available in Excel 2013 and later for Windows, Excel 2016 and later for Mac, and Excel Online. It is not supported in older versions of Excel prior to 2013.
According to Microsoft’s support article, version history was introduced as a response to customer feedback requesting easier ways to restore important data in Excel workbooks. The ability to view previous versions gives users more control over their workbooks and peace of mind knowing they can revert back if needed.
What Excel platforms support version history?
Version history is available in Excel 2013, 2016, 2019, and Office 365. It works across all platforms including desktop, web, and mobile apps (https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/view-previous-versions-of-office-files-5c1e076f-a9c9-41b8-8ace-f77b9642e2c2).
Prior to Excel 2013, version history was not available. It was first introduced as a new feature in Excel 2013 and has been included in all subsequent releases (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Excel).
So in summary, if you are using Excel 2013 or later, version history should be available. But if using Excel 2010 or earlier, you will not have access to version history.
Why don’t I see the version history pane?
The version history pane in Excel is hidden by default. To view the version history of a document, you need to manually open the pane.
Here are the steps to open and view the version history pane in Excel:
- Open the Excel file you want to view version history for.
- Go to the File tab and select Info.
- In the Info pane, look for the Versions section and click the arrow next to Version History.
- This will open up the version history pane, showing all previous saved versions of the Excel file.
The version history pane allows you to view, restore, delete, or copy previous versions. If you don’t see the pane, Excel doesn’t have autosave enabled or hasn’t saved versions yet.
For more information, see Microsoft’s guide on restoring previous versions in Excel.
Requirements for Version History
In order to use the version history feature in Excel, there are a few requirements that need to be met:
Must be using a supported platform – Version history in Excel is only available with certain platforms. It requires Excel for Microsoft 365, Excel 2021, Excel on the web, Excel for iPad, and Excel for iPhone. Older versions of Excel do not support version history.
Needs to be enabled and set up properly – Version history is not turned on by default in Excel. It needs to be enabled and configured in your Excel settings. This includes setting the number of versions to keep, requiring content approval for edits, and more. Without the proper setup, version history will not work even on supported platforms.
So in summary, version history requires an up-to-date Excel version on a compatible platform, and the feature must be manually enabled and configured. If using an older version of Excel or if version history settings were not turned on, that is likely why the feature is not visible.
How to enable version history
Version history allows you to view or restore previous versions of an Excel file. To use version history, it first needs to be enabled.
Follow these steps to turn on version history in Excel:
- Open an Excel workbook.
- Go to File > Options > Save.
- Under the Save workbooks section, check the box next to “Keep the last autosaved version if I close without saving.”
- Adjust the number next to “AutoRecover files” to determine how many versions to keep. The default is 10 versions.
- Check the box next to “Show autosave options when I open my workbook.” This will allow you to adjust auto-save and auto-backup settings each time you open a workbook.
With auto-save and auto-backup turned on, Excel will automatically save versions of a workbook as you work. You can then view or restore previous versions using the version history pane.
For optimal performance, Microsoft recommends keeping fewer than 100 versions of a file. Older versions will get deleted automatically as the limit is reached.
Troubleshooting issues with version history
There are a few common reasons why version history may not be working properly in Excel:
First, check that you are using a supported Excel version. Version history is only available in Excel 2016+ for Office 365 subscribers. If you are using an older version of Excel, version history will not be an option.
Next, make sure version history is actually enabled for the document. Go to File > Options > General and ensure “Keep the last versions of your documents (requires OneDrive or SharePoint)” is checked. If this setting is disabled, version history will not be saved.
You may also want to check that the document is properly connected to OneDrive or SharePoint. Version history relies on integration with OneDrive or SharePoint to store previous file versions in the cloud. If connectivity issues prevent syncing with OneDrive or SharePoint, version history can fail.
Checking these basic factors – the Excel version, that version history is enabled, and that cloud connectivity is working – should help identify and resolve the most common reasons for version history not functioning properly.
Alternatives to version history
If you are not able to use Excel’s built-in version history feature for some reason, there are a couple alternatives you can try to manually track changes:
Manually saving versions
The simplest solution is to manually save a new version of your spreadsheet periodically as you make changes. For example, you could save your file as something like “budget_v1.xlsx”, “budget_v2.xlsx”, “budget_final.xlsx” etc. This lets you go back to view and compare previous versions. The downside is it takes discipline to consistently rename and save versions.
As one Reddit user suggests, you can set up a macro to prompt you to enter a version number on save to help with the manual process (source). However, this still relies on you manually managing the versions.
Using a VBA macro to compare versions
You can create a Visual Basic macro to compare two version of a spreadsheet. The macro would loop through each cell and compare values to identify changes. While doable, this requires VBA skills to set up and maintain.
Overall the manual approaches take effort and discipline. But they may work if you cannot enable the built-in version history feature for some reason.
Best practices when using version history
When working with version history in Excel, following some best practices can help ensure you get the most out of the feature and avoid potential issues:
Frequently save your work or enable auto-save – Saving frequently creates more restore points you can go back to if needed. Enabling auto-save ensures versions are captured even if you forget to manually save.
Name versions clearly – Give versions descriptive names like “Price update” or “Added sales data” so you can easily identify what changed in each version.
Review history before merging versions – Before combining changes from multiple versions, review the history to understand what was altered. This avoids overwriting anything important.
Limit the number of versions – Excel can store up to the last 100 versions which may be sufficient. But for complex files with many authors, consider limiting versions to 10 or 20 to avoid reaching the cap.
Delete old versions – Clean out versions you no longer need to free up document history space for newer versions.
Export backup copies – Consider exporting key version milestones as separate files for backup purposes.
Communicate with coauthors – Talk with others editing the same file so everyone knows what versions they are working from.
Use file sharing – Leverage OneDrive or SharePoint for file collaboration rather than emailing versions back and forth.
Understand version limits – Know that once you reach the maximum versions, Excel will start deleting the oldest ones as you add new ones.
New version history features
Excel’s version history feature allows you to view or restore previous versions of a workbook. This helps recover changes if you make a mistake or want to view old data. Version history was first introduced in Excel 2016, but Microsoft has continued enhancing it in recent updates.
Some of the latest improvements to version history include:
- In Excel for Microsoft 365, the default number of workbook versions stored was increased from 20 to 100 in late 2022 (Microsoft May 2023 update).
- Excel can now automatically save versions while you’re working on a shared workbook, instead of only when you close it (Microsoft 365 help).
In the future, we can expect expanded platform support, easier version restore options, and tighter integration with OneDrive and SharePoint document libraries to enhance collaboration. Auto-save frequency may also be increased to save more incremental versions. Overall, the version history capability will likely continue improving to better protect users’ work.