This article explains how to access and manage Google Docs revision history. It includes information on the available options. You can only access the revision history of a document if you have editing permissions or you created the document.

What to Know

  • Open the document in Google Docs. In the File menu, select Version history > See version history.Select the More Actions icon (three dots) and choose Restore this version, Name this version or Make a copy.Another way to open version history is to select the Last Edit link at the top of the page.

How to Access Google Docs Version History

Google Docs version history helps you control changes made to your shared documents, which is important when you’re collaborating on documents with a group of people. Accessing the revision history in Google Docs is easy, and there are a couple of ways to do it.

  • First, open the document for which you want to view revision history.
  • This can technically be any type of document in Google Drive, including Docs, Sheets, or Slides.
  • From the File menu, select Version history.
  • Select See version history.
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  • Alternatively, use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Alt+Shift+H on a Windows computer, or Cmd+Option+Shift+H on a Mac.
  • You’ll see your document’s history on the right panel. Select More Actions (three dots) and then select Restore this version, Name this version, or Make a copy.
  • Another way to open Version History: Select the Last Edit link at the top of the page.
  • Another way to keep track of document versions and changes is to use the Show Editors feature. In your Google Doc, highlight a range of text and right-click, then select Show Editors. You’ll see your document collaborators, their latest changes, and a timestamp.

Work With Revision History in Google Docs

Once the Version history for a document is open, you should see a list of the saved versions of the document. Depending on how many people are collaborating on the document and how often changes are made, that list may be long or short. And unless you’ve previously accessed the version history and made changes to it, each version will be titled with the date and time changes were made to the document.

First, open the document for which you want to view revision history.

This can technically be any type of document in Google Drive, including Docs, Sheets, or Slides.

From the File menu, select Version history.

Select See version history.

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Alternatively, use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Alt+Shift+H on a Windows computer, or Cmd+Option+Shift+H on a Mac.

You’ll see your document’s history on the right panel. Select More Actions (three dots) and then select Restore this version, Name this version, or Make a copy.

Another way to open Version History: Select the Last Edit link at the top of the page.

Another way to keep track of document versions and changes is to use the Show Editors feature. In your Google Doc, highlight a range of text and right-click, then select Show Editors. You’ll see your document collaborators, their latest changes, and a timestamp.

Version History isn’t available on the mobile version of Google Docs. You can see details about a document, such as when it was created and when it was last modified by going to the three-dot menu in the upper-right corner and choosing Details, but more detailed revision history can only be viewed from a computer.

Color-Code Collaborators

One of the first things you’ll probably notice is that each person collaborating on a document has a small colored dot next to their name. These colors are assigned by Google, and when you click a version of the document, as long as the Show changes option at the bottom of the Version history list is selected, changes made will be highlighted in a color that corresponds to the dot next to the name of the person who made the change.

Available Options

Once you select a version, a three-dot menu will appear to the right of the version name. When you select that menu, you’ll find two options:

  • Name this version: Select this option to open the version name (which is displayed as a date and time by default) for editing. You can then type the name you want that version to have and press the Enter key on your keyboard to accept the new name.Make a copy: This option allows you to create a new copy of your document, as it was on the date and time of the selected version. A dialog box opens that allows you to create a name for the new document and to choose a location where you would like the document to be stored. If you have shared your document, you’ll also have the option to Share it with the same people.

How to Restore Your Google Doc to a Previous Version

If your reason for looking up the version history in Google Docs is to roll a document back to the state it was in before changes were made, you can do that in a few steps.

  • From within the open document, navigate to the Version history using the instructions above.
  • Select a version, then select More Options (three dots).
  • Select Restore this version. Or, for a quick solution, select Restore this version from the top of the page.
  • Click Restore to confirm.
  • Your document will be restored and you’ll see confirmation of that in a brief pop-up dialog at the top of the page once the reversion is complete.
  • If you restore a previous version of the document and then change your mind, you can go back into your version history and restore the document again, to a later (or an earlier) version.

From within the open document, navigate to the Version history using the instructions above.

Select a version, then select More Options (three dots).

Select Restore this version. Or, for a quick solution, select Restore this version from the top of the page.

Click Restore to confirm.

Your document will be restored and you’ll see confirmation of that in a brief pop-up dialog at the top of the page once the reversion is complete.

If you restore a previous version of the document and then change your mind, you can go back into your version history and restore the document again, to a later (or an earlier) version.

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