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How to use a previous version of a spreadsheet?

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I made a few changes to a new gen workbook that I do not like. The undo bottom is now greyed out, Control + Z is is also not working. Can I go back to a previous (autosaved) version and delete the current version?
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Comments

9 comments

Date Votes
  • Ben Andrews
    As far as I know, you can't delete any versions or revert to a previous version.  I know there are times where it would be convenient to be able to do so, but I do agree (with workiva) that it is more important to have that control of audit history, which can not be be edited.  You can open a previous version of the spreadsheet and copy/paste into the current version.  It's still a little bit manual, but generally pretty quick.


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  • Ty Taborelli
    Well, I deleted a merged column containing many run-on complex formulas. I was not able to copy and paste the formulas from the old version. Although, I could copy/paste standard numbers from tables, wording, etc. But the bulk of the work was in the formulas. So it took me about a hour and a half to recreate. I just wanted to see how it would look with a different format and thought an undo would get me back.
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  • Ben Andrews
    Ahh yes, that's a bummer.  Would have been nice to have a "discard draft" button like classic workbooks had.  I've gotten used to working without it, but was a nice feature for experimentation.  I guess in spreadsheets the only really safe way to test a complex change is to make a copy of the spreadsheet and try it there first.
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  • Ty Taborelli

    Yes, definitely missed the 'discard draft' button then. Thanks for your replies.
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  • Mike
    Sorry to hear about your issue, Ty, but great convo so far! Indeed, while there is not a set number of undo commands you are limited to, at some point the system does run out of commands it can undo. Looks like you just missed the window needed, in your case. I've passed your particular issue with our Product Team, however. There's certainly room for improvement there.

    Thanks for sharing and holler if you need anything else. Best!
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  • Ty Taborelli

    Thanks Mike, Hope there is some type of fix soon. 
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  • Tracie Stricklin

    Any new info on this?

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  • Mike

    Hi Tracie (and all),

    Not much has changed in terms of reusing a prior revision, though there is work to make the revision history more useful. In addition, our product team is working on what are called "private drafts", which may help address the asks/requests here. The first phase focuses on Documents, with more to come there. There's a similar request here for Discarding changes, which we'll also keep updated as things progress with private drafts.

    Let me know if I've missed the mark at all, or you have any follow-ups for me. Thanks again and keep staying awesome!

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  • Rhett Schroeder

    I would suggest a "revert" or "make current" option in the history that doesn't wipe any previous edits, it just moves that previous version to the current.  That way we gain the functionality to correct any issues and still retain the audit history. 

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