How to see the history of a Word document

TL;DR: Word keeps a history only for files saved in OneDrive or SharePoint: open the file, click its name in the title bar, and choose Version history. A file that lives only on your desktop has none, and Word saves snapshots, not every keystroke.

Want a record Word does not keep? DrawDog logs your writing sessions and time without opening your file. Start free at drawdog.art/download.

Yes, if the file is saved in OneDrive or SharePoint. Open the file, then click the file name in the title bar and choose Version history (on the web, File > Version History; on Mac, Browse Version History). A file that only lives on your desktop gets no version history, and Word saves snapshots, not every keystroke. By the end you will know what to switch on before you write and what to send with the file.

How to see version history in Word

1. Save the file to OneDrive or SharePoint from inside Word. AutoSave turns on by itself for files stored there.
2. Open the file and click its name in the title bar, then choose Version history. On Word for the web, use File, then Version History. On Mac, click the name in the title bar, then Browse Version History (older Mac versions: File, then Browse Version History).
3. Pick a version. It opens in a separate window. Choose Restore only if you want it to replace the current one.

Desktop Word with a file saved to a local path like C:\ has AutoSave off and no version history. Microsoft lists files on a file server, other cloud storage and SharePoint on premises the same way. Versions only start once the file is saved in OneDrive or SharePoint, so set this up before you write.

On a personal Microsoft account you can get back the last 25 versions. On a work or school account the number depends on how the library is set up.

Word keeps versions only for files in OneDrive or SharePoint

The steps are in the section above. If you use Word 2016 to 2021 and the title-bar menu is missing, try File > History.

Two numbers decide how much that list is worth:

• About every 10 minutes. When you make your first change, AutoSave adds a version. After that, new versions are added only periodically, about every 10 minutes, for the rest of the session.
• 25 versions on a personal account. With a personal Microsoft account, you can retrieve the last 25 versions. With a work or school account, the number depends on how the library is set up.

Example: how fast 25 versions run out

Say you write for 6 hours across a few days. At one snapshot every 10 minutes, that is up to 360 / 10 = 36 versions. On a personal account only the last 25 are kept, so the earliest drafts may already be gone. Export or screenshot the list as soon as the piece is finished.

The history shows growth over sessions, not who typed it

Version history shows earlier versions of the file, which you can open, compare or restore. It does not record who typed each change as it happened. If you need to see individual edits, use Track Changes.

So be exact about what you claim. "This document grew across these sessions" is true and checkable. "I typed all of it" is not something the history can back up.

Total Editing Time counts minutes the document sat in front of you

On desktop Word, File > Info shows Total Editing Time under Properties, in minutes. It is easy to find and easy to misread: it counts the time a document is open and in front of other windows, whether or not anything is happening to it. A lunch break with the document in front counts.

Example: say the file shows 540 minutes. That is 540 / 60 = 9 hours of open-and-in-front time. If 45 of those minutes were lunch, the writing time could be as low as 495 minutes. Treat the figure as a ceiling, never as hours of writing.

Switch on three things before the first sentence

Do these before you type.

• Save the file to OneDrive or SharePoint from inside Word. AutoSave is available for files saved there, and you need to save or open the file from within Word to switch it on.
• Turn AutoSave on. On Windows, use the AutoSave switch in the title bar. On Mac, use the switch at the top left, or tick Turn on AutoSave by default under Word > Preferences > Save.
• Turn Track Changes on. Open the Review tab and click Track Changes in the Tracking group, or press Ctrl+Shift+E on Windows or Cmd+Shift+E on Mac. Once it is on, additions, deletions and formatting changes are marked automatically.

If AutoSave is missing or greyed out, the file is not in OneDrive or SharePoint. Use Save As, pick OneDrive, then flip the switch.

Do not confuse AutoSave with AutoRecover. On Windows, AutoRecover is set under File > Options > Save and is a safety net for crashes. It does not give you a history you can send.

Pick the Word signal by what the reader asked

If the reader asks...	Send	What to say it shows
"Did this grow over time?"	Version History list (screenshot, or view access to the OneDrive file)	Snapshots across sessions, about every 10 minutes while you edit
"What changed between drafts?"	Track Changes markup	Additions, deletions and formatting changes in the document
"How long did this take?"	Total Editing Time next to the version list	A ceiling on open time, in minutes
"Who typed it?"	A record of the session itself	Word's own history does not answer this one

For that last row, a separate record of the session is what fills the gap. The manuscript guide walks through the wider writing case.

Send the history with a note that claims only what it shows

Word's history is easy to oversell. Keep the note flat and exact. Example wording to paste:

Here is the draft, and here is its version history from OneDrive. It shows how the document grew across sessions. Word's properties list about 540 minutes of total editing time, which counts time the document was open and in front, so treat that as a ceiling. It is a series of snapshots, so I can also send a fuller record of the sessions if you need one.

If the work is for a client, what to send a client who asks covers the reply in more detail.

Four mistakes that weaken Word as a record

• Working in a file saved only to the desktop. Cost: no version history exists.
• Waiting weeks to export the history on a personal account. Cost: older versions can roll off after 25, so early drafts may be missing.
• Quoting Total Editing Time as hours of writing. Cost: a reader who knows how it is counted can dismiss it, and the rest of your record loses weight.
• Treating Track Changes as a record of who typed. Cost: it shows edits to a document, not who sat at the keyboard.

Do this in the next ten minutes

Open the document you are working on right now. Check the title bar or top left for the AutoSave switch. If it is missing, use Save As, choose OneDrive, then switch AutoSave on and press Ctrl+Shift+E (Windows) or Cmd+Shift+E (Mac) for Track Changes. Your next session will start leaving a trail.

Add a record Word can't give you

Word's history stops at snapshots. DrawDog is a Mac and Windows app that records how a piece of writing came together and gives one link a client or publisher can check. It never opens your files, and never records file contents, file names, keystrokes or the screen. The free tier includes 3 certificates a month, and checking a certificate is always free.

If you want a record you can hand over before a client asks for it, read what a DrawDog certificate records or download DrawDog and seal your next piece as you make it.

See what a session record looks like: drawdog.art/c/sample.