How to check your edit history on Google Docs in 3 simple steps

With Google Docs, there's no need to keep multiple drafts of documents. Google Docs stores a running history of every change made to a document with its "Version History" feature. 

Previous versions of documents are never deleted. Instead, they're organized by time and date, and can easily be restored. 

Here's how to check your edit history on Google Docs, using any browser on your Mac or PC.

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How to check your edit history on Google Docs

1. Launch Google Docs by going to https://docs.google.com/. Once there, log in and select the document you want to view the edit history for. 

2. At the top of the page, select "Last edit was …" You can also click "File," then "Version History," and then "See version history."

3. A new page will open with the document's edit history on the right side of the screen, and the document's current state on the left. Depending on how many changes you or others have made to the document, you can see each version by simply scrolling through the list on the right. 

At the bottom, make sure the box next to "Show changes" is checked. 

Toggle through the list of versions, and select a specific timestamp. Changes will appear as highlighted text. If it's a document that multiple people have edited, hover your mouse over the highlighted text to see who made what edits.

To restore a past version of the document, click it and then select "Restore this version" at the top of the page. 

The most recent version will still be available in the Version History menu, and can be accessed and restored at any time.

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