OneDrive Version History | What is It & How to Use

• Does OneDrive Have Version History?
• How to Use One Drive Version History
• How to Fix OneDrive Version History Not Showing up
• Conclusion

Does OneDrive Have Version History?

Yes, there is a OneDrive Version History feature that allows you to view, restore, and download previous versions of files saved on OneDrive. It is especially useful when you accidentally overwrite a file, want to revert to an earlier draft, and are willing to recover files from unwanted edits.

OneDrive Version History Features

💡 Supported Files: Works with Office documents (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), PDFs, images, and other file types.

💡 Auto-Saved Versions: OneDrive automatically saves versions when changes are detected.

💡 Manual Version Control: You can manually restore or download older versions.

💡 Retention Period:

• Personal OneDrive (Free & Paid): Keeps version history for 30 days by default (up to 500 versions).
• OneDrive for Business (Microsoft 365): Retains versions for up to 500 days (depends on admin settings).

OneDrive Version History Limit

❎ Deleted Files: If a file is deleted, version history is also lost unless restored from the Recycle Bin.

❎ Storage Impact: Multiple versions do not count against your storage limit.

❎ Non-Office Files: Versioning may be less frequent for non-Office files.

How to Use One Drive Version History

Now you know there is a version history feature on OneDrive, but how to use it? In this part, you can see the specific steps for using this feature on the web and desktop app. Unfortunately, the mobile app does not support this feature till now, but you can use it by entering the OneDrive website on a web browser on your mobile device.

On the Web

Step 1. Go to the OneDrive website and sign in to your account.

Step 2. Right-click on the desired file and choose “Version history” in the dropdown menu.

Step 3. Choose the version you want and click the 3-dot icon next to it. Then, select “Restore” to recover the old version of this file.

On Mac or Windows PC

Step 1. Open the OneDrive desktop app on your computer.

Step 2. Navigate to the desired file and right-click on it.

Step 3. Choose “Version history” in the dropdown menu and choose the willing version.

Step 4. Click the 3-dot icon and choose “Restore”. Then, this file will be restored to the previous version.

How to Fix OneDrive Version History Not Showing up

Sometimes, you may not find the Version History on OneDrive which is quite annoying when you want to restore to the old version eagerly. Don’t panic! There are 7 quick fixes you can try to resolve your problem.

1. Check File Type Compatibility

OneDrive Version History supports Office files (Word, Excel, PPT), PDFs, images, etc. If you cannot see the Version History option, it may be because your file is not supported, such as some encrypted or read-only files. Thus, you can test a Word or Excel file to see if this feature is available. Besides, Version History does not support folders for restoration.

2. Use the Web Version

As mentioned before, Version History is not supported on the OneDrive mobile app. If you cannot find it on the desktop app neither, you can go to the OneDrive website and follow the steps above to use it.

3. File Was Never Edited or Uploaded Again

Version history only appears after a file has been modified or re-uploaded. Therefore, if you want to call it up, you can:

Step 1. Open the file, make a change, and save it again.

Step 2. Wait a few seconds and refresh the OneDrive web view.

4. File Sync Issues

If the file hasn’t synced properly or OneDrive is not syncing, Version History may not update since only synced files keep versions. To address this issue, you can check whether the files are syncing or force OneDrive to sync.

To check the synced folder:

Step 1. Click the OneDrive icon in the task bar and tap the gear icon.

Step 2. Select “Settings” in the dropdown menu and go to the “Account” tab.

Step 3. Click “Choose folders” and tick the folder that contains the files you want to back up to OneDrive automatically.

To force OneDrive to sync:

Step 1. Go to OneDrive settings on your desktop.

Step 2. Select “Account” and click “Unlink this PC”. Then, confirm it.

Step 3. Click the OneDrive button and sign in to your account. Then, choose the folders you want to sync with OneDrive.

5. Versioning Settings (OneDrive for Business Only)

If you’re using OneDrive for Business, version history may be disabled or limited to a small number of versions. If you are the admin of this OneDrive for Business account, you can:

Step 1. Go to SharePoint Online.

Step 2. Navigate to the library settings where the file is stored.

Step 3. Click “Versioning Settings” > Ensure it's enabled and set to keep enough versions.

6. Try a Different Browser or Clear Cache

Sometimes, the browser extension or cache may block the OneDrive Version History feature.

► To clear the browser cache (Chrome): click the 3-dot icon > choose “Delete browsing data…” > check “Cached images and files” > tap “Delete data”.

► To disable browser extensions (Chrome): click the 3-dot icon > Extensions > Manage extensions > disable or remove some extensions.

7. Check Account Type

If you're using a guest account or accessing a shared file, you may not have versioning privileges. In this case, you can ask the file owner to check version history or grant you editing permissions and try to find the Version History in OneDrive.

Conclusion

This post tells you what is OneDrive Version History, its features and limitations, and how to use it. If you encounter the not showing up issue, you can try to fix it with the 7 solutions shown above.

Moreover, if want to transfer OneDrive files to Google Drive, iCloud Drive, Dropbox, pCloud, SharePoint Online, or other clouds, you can try MultCloud to transfer, sync, or back up without file downloading and uploading. The whole process will be automatic and you can have several options to customize your task.