Ctrl+Z does not work yesterday
A friend deleted a grades row. Yesterday you had average 1.8, today 2.2 — what happened? Version history (Google Sheets: File → Version history) shows old states. A named version = a backup before a big experiment.
The Workbook boss watches that the project does not vanish with one click.
History on Google Drive
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File → Version history → See version history. A panel on the right — time snapshots.
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Click yesterday’s version. A preview of the old workbook. Find B8 — what was the average?
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Restore this version — only when you really want to put the whole workbook back. Not lightly. Better Make a copy of the old version into a new workbook.
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Before editing scenarios: File → Version history → 名前 current version →
Before-ice-cream-scenario. Experiment. If you break it, you go back to the named one. -
Excel on OneDrive: similarly Version history. Desktop Excel without the cloud: handmade Save as
project-backup-2026-03-01.xlsx.
A named version before handing in to the teacher: Handover-march. When you continue in April, you have a snapshot of what went out.
Who changed what
History shows the user (when shared). “A teammate changed the average” — a talk, not a fight. The Boss sets view rights for the class, edit only for themselves.
What often goes wrong
Restore an old version instead of a copy. You lose today’s work.
No named version before F2=1.5 tests. You go back by hand.
Excel without the cloud. Only Ctrl+S copies by hand — history does not exist.
🏫 Grade average — audit
History shows when B4 changed. At hand-in compare with the PDF — does it fit?
💰 Pocket money — experiment
Version Before-F2-test. After the test F2=1. Pocket money is sensitive — history helps put a mistake back.
📊 Class survey — a deleted row
History restores deleted answers. Better than made-up votes.
🏆 Mini dashboard — a hand-in snapshot
A named version at the moment of the dashboard PDF = proof of “one truth” that day.
Now you 💪
First: name the current version Check-today.
Second: open history, find a change of one grade (or change one and look for it).
Check: You know where history is. A named version exists. Restoring the whole workbook only on purpose.
What to take from this lesson
- Version history = time travel of the workbook.
- A named version before a risk and before handing in.
- Excel offline = a handmade file copy.
© 2026 Ing. Martin Polak / AlgoRhino · コンテンツ利用規約