How to Use Version History in Microsoft Excel

Quick Tips

• To view the version history of an Excel workbook, click the file name at the top and select Version History.
• Note that this feature only works for Excel files stored in Microsoft OneDrive.
• With a personal account, you can view up to 25 versions of a workbook saved in OneDrive. For work or school accounts, the number of retrievable versions depends on your library configuration.

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 select Version History from 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 select Version History from the resulting menu.

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

Step 4: Click the Restore button at the top.

After you restore the version, you can make the desired changes and save the Excel workbook as 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 and visit 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 the File menu in the top-left corner.

Step 3: Switch to the Info tab and click Version 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 it using 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 select Version History from the menu that appears.

Step 3: In the Version History panel, locate the version you want to use. Click the three horizontal dots next to it and select Download to save the file on your computer and edit it using the desktop app.

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