Editing takes place with each revision, But what is the case if you believe an earlier version was superior in certain ways? Using Google Docs’ version history, you can review earlier versions of the document. This allows you to find the one sentence you’re regretting deletion and restore your File to its previous Version. This feature is activated by default, so it doesn’t require turning any part off.
Users of Microsoft Office know this feature as “revision history.” Google Docs’ feature is similar, but it’s got a new designation: “version history.”
What Is Google Sheets Version History?
Google introduced a feature that will save all modifications made to documents. Even a minor change as a comma can be documented and offered on most of the services that comprise Google’s Google suite of apps.
Since Google Docs and Google Sheets are cloud-based applications, backups are done almost instantly and accessible anytime as long as you have Internet access.
Only the spreadsheet’s owner can see these changes and the person who owns the spreadsheet grants editing access. View-only users of the spreadsheet cannot access or edit the history of versions. This is mostly intended to protect privacy.
The feature for version history available in Google Sheets removes the need to create multiple copies of the spreadsheet locally on hardware. You have to open the account of versions and locate the specific Version you’re seeking.
Check the revision history of the following File:
- Open an image file (Docs sheets, slides, and Drawings)
- Click File, and then View the revision history.
- It is also possible to click to open All changes saved to Drive text in the upper right-hand corner of the features menu.
- Within the Revision history panel on the right, you will see the older revisions of the document.
- Pay attention to the Show more specific revisions button in the lower right corner of the history panel.
- Please choose a time stamp to display an earlier version and who was the person who edited it.
- Each individual’s changes are displayed in the color that appears right next to their name.
- The text included will now be highlighted with a new color.
- An arrow will highlight text that has been removed.
- To restore the File to the Version you’re currently watching, Click to restore this Version.
- To switch to the latest file version, press the back arrow in the upper left.
How do I view and edit the history of Google Sheets?
Note. This function is accessible to spreadsheet owners and users with editing permissions.
To view the complete edit history of Google Sheets, go to File> Version history > Check the history of your version
Tip. Another method to access Google Sheets edit history is to press Ctrl+Alt+Shift+H from your keyboard.
It will reveal a side pane to the right side of your spreadsheet that will display all of the information.
Every record in this pane is a different version of the spreadsheet, which differs from the Version shown below.
Tip. Certain versions are grouped. A tiny right-pointing triangle will identify these groups.
Click the triangle to extend the group and look at the whole Google Sheets version history.
When you go through Google Sheets’ history of versions, you’ll be able to see who modified the File and the date (names, dates, and times).
Click on any timestamp or date, and Google Sheets will show you the sheets that contain the information associated with the date and time.
You can also look through the editor’s edits. Click on the Show changes box at the bottom of the bar.
It will be easy to determine who changed the cells since the colors of their fills will match the circles next to the editors’ names in the Google Sheets version history sidebar.
Tip. To look over each edit one at a time and navigate between them, click the arrows next to the Edits in total.
How do I view it on an iPhone?
Although this process may be boring, it’s possible to look at the history of editing in Google Docs on smartphones. We’ll show how to do it on the iPhone and then on Android. Follow this guide:
Start your mobile browser. Then, follow that link and go to the Google Docs website;
Then, choose the option to display an offline version of the website;
In Safari, the process is done by pressing A on the upper right-hand corner of your screen and then pressing Request Desktop Website;
Follow the link, and you can access Google Docs for the web. Follow the previous steps to view the history of editing in Google Docs.
The procedure for Android is similar to the process for Android:
Once again, open the browser you like. After that, go on to the Official Google Docs website;
To see the app’s Desktop version, tap three dots on the upper right-hand edge of your screen. Scroll down, then tap Desktop website;
Done! Repeat the steps in the previous post to see your edit history on Google Docs.
Revert to the Previous Version of a Google Doc on an iPhone
You will need access to modify the document to restore an earlier version of the Google Doc. Google groups different copies of the same composition and makes editing easier to find. The copies are generally identified or organized by chronological sequence.
To restore the older version of an Google Doc on an iPhone, go through these steps:
- Click on “File,” located at the top of the page.
- Choose “Version History” from the menu and click “See Version History.”
- Go toward the upper right corner of the screen and connect “Save Notice.”
- There are older document versions on the window’s right side. You can scroll through the list to find the information you’re searching for. You can broaden your search by clicking the drop-down arrow.
- By selecting a document, you can display its main view. It will show all the modifications made, along with the names of the people responsible for the changes.
- To restore the files, click”Restore This Version” or click on the “Restore This Version” button at the top of the page.
- A message will notify you how the documents will be restored to the original Version. Click “Restore” to confirm.
- You’ve restored an earlier file from Google Docs, and your current edits have been saved to Version History.
How to Navigate a Document’s Version History
Once you’re inside the document’s Version History, you’ll see an elongated grey bar at the upper right-hand corner of the screen. You’ll also see an overview of all changes to the document on the right part of the page. If you’d like to view more precise edits, select the ‘Show more specific revisions’ button in the lower right-hand corner.
If you choose an edit date in the timeline on the right, all edits made from that date will be shown and highlighted with various hues to indicate each user’s contributions and their changes. It is easy to jump between improvements using buttons on the upper right of the screen. This can be a huge help for long documents.
For each entry on your timeline, you’ll find a “Restore this revision” button. If you select this option, the document will be updated only to reflect the changes made to that point. There is still the possibility to reverse the changes, as you can restore the second to last revision to reverse any restoration work made to an earlier version.
How do you monitor, review and then approve Google Sheets edits?
The Layer is an additional feature that gives you the tools you need to boost the efficiency and quality of data in your workflows on top of Google Sheets. You can share parts in Your Google Sheets, monitor, examine and approve changes, and sync information from various sources in minutes. Learn how to use it.
Using Layer, you can:
- Share and Collaborate to automate the information collection process and validate it with the user’s control.
- Automate and Schedule: Schedule periodic tasks for data collecting and distribution.
- Integrate and sync. Connect to your tech stack and sync all of your data into one.
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Conclusion
The history of editing the Google Docs document is easily examined using”File” or selecting the “File” tab from the menu bar. The “Edit history” can also be seen from the options accessible from the main menu (adjacent”Accessibility”) “Accessibility”). Furthermore, a shortcut button, “CTRL+ALT+SHIFT+H,” also shows the “Edit History,” and users can see the edits made by each user. This Google Docs post has listed several ways to know the history of improvements within Google Docs.
