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To inspect an earlier version of a Word document without changing the current one, open Version History and select the version to view. Do not select Restore: that makes an older version current. This Microsoft 365 workflow applies to documents stored in OneDrive or SharePoint, not automatically to local-only files.
View an earlier version in Word
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Open the document in Word.
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Select the document title in the title bar, then choose Version History or See all versions. In applicable desktop workflows, you can also check File > Info > Version History. Menu labels and locations may differ by platform, app version, and account. Microsoft Support documents these Word routes.
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In the Version History pane, select the earlier version to view it. Microsoft’s instruction is: “In the Version History pane on the right, select a version to view it.”
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Review the version, then close it or return to the current document. Leave Restore untouched unless you intend to make the older version current.
Open version history from OneDrive or SharePoint
SharePoint library
Find the file in the library, open its file menu (sometimes under a more-options menu), and choose Version history. When available, select View to inspect a version rather than Restore. The exact options depend on the library and your permissions. Microsoft’s SharePoint instructions describe the library route.
OneDrive
You can open a file’s version history from OneDrive; Microsoft also documents access through File Explorer when the OneDrive sync app is installed. For inspection, use Word’s Version History pane or a SharePoint View option if available. The OneDrive instructions focus on restoring a version, so do not click Restore merely to see an older copy. See Microsoft’s OneDrive version guidance.
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Viewing versus restoring
Selecting or opening a historical version lets you inspect its contents. Restore changes which version is current. In SharePoint, restoring creates a copy and makes it the latest version; it does not remove the earlier historical version. In OneDrive, Microsoft describes the selected older version becoming current. Use the view or open action for review, and restore only when you deliberately want the older content to become the current document.
Why Version History may be missing
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The file is stored locally. Microsoft 365 Version History applies to supported files stored in OneDrive or SharePoint, not an arbitrary local-only document. See Microsoft’s overview of previous Office file versions.
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Versioning is unavailable or disabled. A SharePoint library owner or administrator can configure versioning, and a work or school administrator may turn off document versioning for OneDrive accounts. Ask the library owner or administrator whether version history is enabled.
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Your account lacks access. SharePoint permissions can affect which versions you can see. Confirm that you have access to the file and its history with the library owner.
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Older versions were removed by retention settings. SharePoint can limit how many versions a library retains, so its history may not extend indefinitely.
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The command is in a different place. Check Word’s title bar, File > Info, or the file menu in the OneDrive or SharePoint library.
How many versions can you see?
Microsoft Support’s Word for the web guidance says personal Microsoft accounts can retrieve the last 25 versions. For work or school accounts, the number depends on library configuration. This is not a universal limit for every Word app, account, or SharePoint library. See Microsoft’s Word for the web cloud-document guidance.
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