How to restore an earlier version of a Word or Excel file

When a file is saved in OneDrive, SharePoint or Teams, Microsoft 365 quietly keeps earlier versions as people edit it. If someone overwrites a spreadsheet or deletes a paragraph, you can go back.

Version history only works for files saved in OneDrive, SharePoint or Teams. Files saved only on your desktop, in Downloads or on a USB drive don’t have it, which is one more reason to save work files to OneDrive.

In Word, Excel or PowerPoint

1. Open the file.
2. Select the file name at the top of the window, then Version history. In older versions of Office, go to File > Info > Version History.
3. Pick a version from the list to open it in a separate window. Each one shows the date, time and who saved it.
4. Found the one you want? Select Restore.

From OneDrive or SharePoint in your browser

This works for any file type, including PDFs and images:

1. Find the file in OneDrive, SharePoint or the Teams Files tab.
2. Right-click it (or select …) and choose Version history.
3. Open the version you want, or select … next to it and choose Restore.

Good to know

• Restoring doesn’t throw anything away. The version you replace stays in the history, so you can switch back if you picked the wrong one.
• Only need part of an old version? Open it, copy the section you need, and paste it into the current file instead of restoring the whole thing.
• Coworkers editing the file? Let them know before you restore, so nobody keeps working on the version you’re replacing.

Looking for a file that was deleted, not changed? See How to recover a deleted file from OneDrive, SharePoint or Teams.

Matter of Technology clients: no version history on a file you need? Submit a request and we’ll check what can be recovered.