View edit history in Base

4 min read

I. Intro

Edit history allows you to easily access previous versions of a base and see the changes made, edit time, and the editors. To ensure data security, only users with edit permission can view or restore a previous version. You can also view the edit history of individual records instead, which includes the edits made, edit time, and editors.

Note:

Only records created or edited after the feature's rollout (July 2023) can be viewed in the edit history of the base. Additionally, the edit history of individual records is only saved for 180 days, which means you will only be able to view edits made within 180 days.

If you see Time Machine instead of Edit History, it means your base has been upgraded to the latest version that supports the Time Machine feature. For more details, see Use Time Machine in Base.

II. Steps

View edit history

Open the base. In the upper-right corner, click the ··· icon > Edit History.

All previous versions are listed in reverse chronological order on the right pane, along with editors and edit times. Click a version to see the edits made.

Multiple versions may be grouped into one. Click the Down arrow icon to the left of the edit time to see the full list.

Note: You cannot see the Edit History button if you do not have permission to edit or manage the base; or advanced permissions are turned on for the base and your role does not have the required permission.

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Restore a previous version

In Edit History, click the version you would like to restore.

Click Restore this version at the top of the page.

Click Restore in the confirmation window.

Click Confirm in the pop-up window to refresh the base.

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View edit history of individual records

There are two ways to view the edit history of an individual record:

Right-click any cell of the record > View Record History.

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Right-click any cell of the record > Expand Details > History, or click the Expand Details icon > History.

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In the edit history, you can view who has made the edit, the edit time, and the specific changes made. You can right-click any content to copy it.

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Any member with edit permission for the record can view its edit history. If advanced permissions are turned on, then members can only view the history of the fields they have access to.

A record's edit history only shows changes made to editable contents, which includes actions such as modifying, adding, and deleting. More details below:

Actions that will appear in a record's edit history:

Modifications made to the following field types: Text, single option, multiple options, person, group, date, attachment, number, checkbox, link, button, number, location, barcode, progress, currency, rating, one-way link, and two-way link, flow, and email.

Adding record contents: Includes content added by users and content added from the changing of field types. For example, if the field type is changed from "creation time", an unsupported field type in edit history, to "date", a supported field type, the content that was added as a result will show up in edit history.

Deleting record contents: Includes content deleted by users and content deleted from the changing of field types.

Changes made to the field type that invalidate the original content (For example, changing the field type from "person" to "date").

Changing a supported field type to an unsupported field type (For example, changing the field type from "number" to "formula").

If you change the field type from "person" to "created/modified by" or "date" to "creation time/last modified date," the change will still appear in edit history even though there are unsupported fields because the field formats are consistent.

Actions that will not be shown in a record's edit history:

Changes to system-generated fields that are not editable by members: Creation time, last modified time, created by, edited by, and numbering.

Changes to fields that depend on content from other fields: Formula, lookup

Actions that modify the entire structure of the base: adding or deleting fields, filtering, grouping, and sorting (these will appear in the base's edit history).

Actions that only change how data is presented but not the values themselves. For example, changing the display format of a number field without changing the numeric value, or converting a progress field/rating field to a number field without changing the numeric value (These can be viewed in the base's edit history).

Editing actions that did not change the cell content:

Content is entered and then deleted.

Field type is changed from "single option" to "multiple options" without any other changes (This can be viewed in the base's edit history).

Renaming options for "single option" and "multiple options" fields (This can be viewed in the base's edit history).

III. Related

Version history for Sheets

View version history in Docs

Version history guide for MindNotes

Difference between local record and version history

IV. FAQs

Who can view and restore previous versions of a base?

Note: If the advanced permissions are turned on and your role does not have the required permissions, then you cannot see Edit History button.

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Who can view the edit history of a record?

Members with a record's edit permission can view its history.

Why aren't my edits or actions reflected in the edit history of a record?

This could be due to reasons such as unsupported field types or your actions did not result in any changes to the content. For more details, please refer to the table above.

Will deleted content be recovered after I restore a previous version?

Yes. Check whether the restored version is correct. If you restore a version with content marked as deleted, the deleted content is not restored. To retrieve the content deleted in this version, restore an earlier version.

What should I do if I accidentally restored the wrong version?

When a previous version is restored, other versions will still be available in Edit history. Simply find the correct version, and restore it.

Can collaborators' permission settings be restored?

No. Permission settings can't be restored.

Can I restore a specific table or view, instead of the entire base?

No.

Can I view sharing history in "edit history"?

No.

Written by: Lark Help Center

Updated on 2024-12-11

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