See and Restore an Earlier Version of a File

Questions

  • How do I undo changes someone else made to a shared file?
  • Can I get back yesterday's version of a document stored in Microsoft Teams?
  • Where is version history in Microsoft Teams?
  • Someone overwrote my spreadsheet. How do I get the earlier numbers back?
  • Does restoring an older version delete the newer versions?
  • Do I still need to save copies named "final" and "v2"?
  • How do I open version history from Word on a Mac?
  • How do I see earlier versions of a synced file in File Explorer on Windows 11?
  • Can I download an old version without changing the file my colleagues see?
  • Why is Version history missing from the menu for my file?

Environment

This article applies to Bowdoin College faculty and staff working with files stored in a Microsoft Teams channel, on a SharePoint site, or in OneDrive for work or school. Edit permission on the file is required to put an earlier version back; read-only access lets you look at the history but not restore from it.

  • People: Bowdoin faculty and staff with a Bowdoin account and access to the file.
  • Systems: Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive, and the Word, Excel, and PowerPoint desktop apps, reached after signing in at https://office365.bowdoin.edu. Versioning is on by default for libraries created in Microsoft 365, and the number of versions kept is set on the library rather than by you.
  • Computers: Bowdoin-issued Windows 11 computers and Bowdoin-issued Macs running macOS Sequoia (15.x), Tahoe (26.x), or newer, plus iPad running the current version of iPadOS. Personal computers are supported on a best-effort basis only.
  • Labels: in some versions of Microsoft Teams a channel's Shared tab is labeled Files. Both labels open the same place.
  • Not in scope: files saved on a local disk, on the Microwave department drive (J:), or on your personal drive (H:). Version history is not available in those locations.
  • Not in scope: a file that was deleted. Deleted items are recoverable for 93 days, and the steps are in How to Recover Documents in OneDrive, Teams, or SharePoint in the Related Articles section.

Resolution

What version history keeps, and what it does not keep

A new version of a file is recorded automatically as the file is edited. Nobody turns version history on, and nobody can forget to record a version. Version history covers all file types, including Portable Document Format (PDF) files, images, and video, not only Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents.

Changes to a file's properties are recorded alongside changes to the file's contents, so a change to a column value or a tag shows up in the history next to the edits. Renaming a file in a web browser creates a version; renaming the same file through File Explorer on Windows 11 or Finder on a Mac does not.

Note: Version history is not a backup and not a recycle bin. Version history tracks the life of a file that still exists, and a deleted file takes its versions with it. Recovering a deleted file happens in the recycle bin, where deleted items are recoverable for 93 days.

Open version history from a Microsoft Teams channel

  1. Open the channel in Microsoft Teams and select the Shared tab.
  2. Select More options ("...") next to the file name.
  3. Select Version history.

The version history pane lists each version with the date it was saved and the name of the person who saved it.

Open version history from a SharePoint library, OneDrive, or File Explorer

  1. Open the SharePoint library. From a Microsoft Teams channel, open the Shared tab and choose Open in SharePoint.
  2. Select More options ("...") next to the file name, then select Version history. If Version history is not listed, choose More first.
  3. Point at the date of the version you want and select the arrow beside that date.
  4. Select Restore, then select OK.

In OneDrive in a web browser the route is the same: right-click the file, select Version history, then select More options ("...") next to a version and choose Restore. In File Explorer on Windows 11 you can right-click a synced file and select Version history without opening a web browser at all.

Open version history from the Word, Excel, or PowerPoint desktop app

  1. Open the file in the installed Word, Excel, or PowerPoint app. Version history in the desktop app works only for files stored in OneDrive or SharePoint.
  2. Select the file's name in the title bar at the top of the window.
  3. Select Version history.
  4. Select a version to open it in its own window.
  5. If the version in that window is the one you want, select Restore in that window.

Opening version history from the desktop app is the most useful of the three routes, because the older version opens in a window of its own where you can read the document properly before deciding anything.

Look at a version before you restore it

Open a version before restoring it. Dates and author names are a poor guide to which version held the paragraph you are missing, and opening a version changes nothing for anyone.

  • Restore makes the version you chose the current one, so everyone who opens the file sees that version. Links and shortcuts keep working, because the file is still the same file.
  • Download saves the version you chose separately on your own computer. Downloading is the right choice when you want one table out of an old version rather than the whole document. A downloaded version is a detached copy that no longer belongs to the library.

Restoring adds a version rather than erasing anything

Restoring adds a new version to the top of the history. The older version you restored stays in the list, and the versions that came after it stay in the list too. SharePoint makes a copy of the version you chose and turns that copy into the latest version.

Restoring is therefore low risk and reversible. If you restore the wrong version, open version history again and restore the version you meant. Restoring is also visible to everyone with access to the file, and it replaces what those colleagues see.

Important: Tell your colleagues before you restore a file they are working in. A restore replaces the document in front of them while they have it open.

Version history replaces saving copies named "final"

Naming files Budget_final.xlsx, Budget_final_v2.xlsx, and Budget_FINAL_use_this_one.xlsx was a reasonable way to protect yourself on a network drive. In Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, and OneDrive that habit is the thing that causes confusion, because your colleagues cannot tell which copy is authoritative and search returns all of them.

Keep one file, in one place, and let version history hold the earlier states of that file. If you need a genuine snapshot to send to people outside Bowdoin or to freeze a document at a deadline, download the version you want rather than leaving a second live copy in the channel.

Additional Help

If you need further assistance, you have several options:

  • Bowdoin Bot: Chat with Bowdoin Bot directly from any KB page for instant answers.
  • Phone: Call the Bowdoin College Service Desk at (207) 725-3030.
  • In person: Visit the Tech Hub in Smith Union during business hours.
  • Submit a ticket: Request assistance through the Service Catalog.

Additional Resources

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