How to recover versions of a Google Drive document

Problem

How can you recover an earlier version of a document when needed.

Environment

  • Google Drive

Solution

You need Owner or Editor access to see the version history.
  1. Access Google Drive.
  2. Open your desired file.
  3. Click File > Version history > See version history.
  4. Click a timestamp to see a previous version of the file. Below the timestamp, you’ll see:
    • Names of people who edited the document.
    • A color next to each person’s name. The edits they made appear in that color.
  5. (Optional) To revert to this version, click Restore this version.

Cause

In the past, you might have kept multiple drafts of your files in case you needed to refer or switch to earlier versions. Google Drive keeps all your drafts in one file. You can easily view or restore earlier versions.