How to View, Delete, or Restore Files from OneDrive Version History

Option 1Using the OneDrive App

1. Open the OneDrive app on your Windows 11 computer.
2. Sign in with your personal Microsoft account or work or school account (if you haven’t already).
3. Right-click on 🖱️ the file you want to check or restore.
4. Click OneDrive, then click Version history.

5. You’ll see a list of all saved versions of this file. Right-click on 🖱️ any version to:
   • Restore — Make this version the current one
   • View online — See what the file looked like
   • Delete version — Remove this old copy

What happens when you restore? The old version becomes the current file by moving to the top of the list. The previous current version becomes a past iteration.

Option 2Using the OneDrive Website

1. Go to the OneDrive.live.com site in your web browser.
2. Sign in with your personal Microsoft account or work or school account (if you haven’t already).
3. Select the file you want to check. You can either:

   • Check the box next to the file, click the three-dot menu button on the toolbar, and click Version history
   • Right-click the file and click Version history

4. Hover over a version and click the three-dot menu button next to it.
5. Choose what you want to do:

   • Open File — View the file
   • Restore — Make this version your current file
   • Delete Version — Remove this old copy

What happens when you restore? The old version becomes the current file by moving to the top of the list. The previous current version becomes a past iteration.

Summary

OneDrive version history acts as a safety net for documents. Managing past iterations takes only moments through either the desktop app or OneDrive.live.com. Recovering a prior version takes seconds after an accidental deletion or unwelcome edit. Personal accounts store up to 25 versions, while work accounts vary, but version history provides a reliable way to undo mistakes and retrieve necessary files.