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Multiple versions on excel in MS Teams

Adam 0 Reputation points
2025-10-20T11:42:31.1+00:00

HI there,

We have been using excel through teams for multiple managers of our department to edit a staffing allocation document for a large hospital department. To keep the channel neat I created a workbook for each month instead of having 30+ documents with only one sheet in.

In the last couple of weeks we've been having problems where the coordinator for the day would come in and non of the changes made the previous day have been saved. I've looked through the version history and have been able to find the version with the sheet with the correct changes, but why would the workbook revert back to a version prior to the one that has the correct changes?

I have also checked the audit trail through 'show changes' and for todays sheet (Monday) there are absolutely zero changes from Friday, I just don't understand how a full version can disappear, so if anyone has any advise to stop it happening again it would be much appreciated .

Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Teams for business | Files | Other
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  1. Tamara-Hu 8,240 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2025-10-20T12:57:10.9866667+00:00

    Hello @Adam,  

    Good day! Thank you for posting your valuable question on Microsoft Q&A forum.   

    Based on your description, it appears that recent edits in the staffing allocation workbook are not persisting, even though version history shows the correct changes at some point.  

    A full version can “disappear” because of how Teams and SharePoint handle file sync: 

    • Manual restore or upload: Restoring an older version or re-uploading the file replaces the current one. 
    • Sync conflicts: Multiple edits without AutoSave or offline work can cause overwrites. 
    • Connectivity issues: If changes never sync, the file reverts to the last saved version. 

    Version History captures snapshots whenever changes reach SharePoint. If someone later overwrites the file with an older copy, the previous version remains in history but is not the active one. 

    To help prevent this from happening again, we recommend the following best practices: 

    • Always store and edit your Excel files in OneDrive or SharePoint rather than local drives. These platforms provide: 
      • Automatic Version History: Every save creates a snapshot you can restore if needed. 
      • Real-Time Co-Authoring: Multiple users can edit simultaneously without conflicts. 
      • Secure Sync: Changes are synced across devices, reducing the risk of overwriting or losing updates. 
    • Avoid downloading and re-uploading files, as this can overwrite recent changes and break version tracking. 
    • Test the file behavior by creating a shared Excel workbook in the channel’s SharePoint/OneDrive and inviting everyone to edit it. Then compare the results to see if this method is more effective. 

    For related documents, you can refer to: 

    Feel free to reply if you need any further assistance or clarification. Thank you for reaching out to us!

    If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment". 

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