How to Use Version History in Microsoft Excel

Pankil is a Civil Engineer turned freelance writer. Since his arrival at Guiding Tech in 2021, he delves into the world of how-tos, and troubleshooting guides for Android, iOS, and Windows. Besides his new-found love for mechanical keyboards, he’s a disciplined footfall fan and loves international travel with his wife.

How to View Version History in Microsoft Excel for PC or Mac

Accessing an older version of an Excel workbook on your PC or Mac only takes a few steps. Here’s how you can go about it.

Step 1:Launch the Microsoft Excel app on your computer and open the file for which you want to see the version history.

Step 2:Click the file name at the top and selectVersion Historyfrom the resulting menu.

Step 3:In the Version History panel that appears on your right, you will see various versions of your workbook. Select the version you want to view to open it in a separate Excel window. You can then copy content from the previous version if you want.

How to Restore Previous Version of a Workbook in Microsoft Excel for PC or Mac

Once you’ve gone through all of the previous versions of an Excel workbook, you can easily restore to any of them and save it as a separate file. Here’s how to do it.

Step 1:Launch Microsoft Excel on your PC or Mac and open the workbook.

Step 2:Click the file name at the top and selectVersion Historyfrom the resulting menu.

Step 3:In the Version History panel, select the version you want to restore.

Step 4:Click theRestorebutton at the top.

After you restore the version, you can make the desired changes andsave the Excel workbookas a separate file.

How to View Version History in Microsoft Excel Online

Viewing the version history of a workbook in Microsoft Excel Online is similar to that of the desktop version. Here are the steps you can follow.

Step 1:Open any web browser andvisit Microsoft Excel for Web. Sign in with your Microsoft account and open the workbook for which you want to view the version history.

Step 2:Click theFilemenu in the top-left corner.

Step 3:Switch to theInfotab and clickVersion History.

Step 4:In the Version History panel, you’ll see various versions of the workbook, along with the date, time, and author name.

Step 5:Select the version you want to view. The specified version should open in the same window.

How to Restore Previous Version of a Workbook in Microsoft Excel Online

After you find the previous version of a workbook that you want to use, you can restore that version and start working on it. Alternatively, you can download the older version of the workbook and edit itusing Excel’s desktop app. Here’s how to do both.

Step 1:Visit Excel for Web in your preferred browser and open your workbook.

Step 2:Click the file name at the top and selectVersion Historyfrom the menu that appears.

Step 3:In the Version History panel, locate the version you want to use. Click thethree horizontal dotsnext to it and selectDownloadto save the file on your computer and edit it using the desktop app.

Alternatively, you can restore to the previous version by clicking theRestorebutton at the top.

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Last updated on 26 July, 2024

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