Excel Version Control
Version control add-in: Securely manage revision history and track changes to Excel spreadsheets.
Version control add-in: Securely manage revision history and track changes to Excel spreadsheets.
Version control add-in: Securely manage revision history and track changes to Excel spreadsheets
Some disappointments are familiar to all Excel users. You or your colleagues may enter incorrect values or even delete critical data by mistake. The Track changes feature in MS Excel comes with limitations: change history is deleted periodically, does not back up, and works only for shared workbooks. How can you protect data without stacks of backup copies or complicated macros?
The XLTools Version Control add-in addresses these issues and keeps your data safe:
Learn your way:
How to track changes in Excel with version control
The XLTools Version Control add-in for Excel workbooks is a revision control or a source control tool. It helps track changes to Excel files and provides a clear picture of who, how, and when you modified the document.
Open a workbook> Click the 'Enable' button in the XLTools ribbon.Or: Open XLTools Settings> Version Control tab> Enable.
You can then confirm the versions of the workbook and track the changes between versions.
How to confirm a version of the Excel workbook in the Change Log
Make sure Version Control is turned on:
Click the 'Enable' button on the XLTools tab or open 'Settings' > version control tab> Enable.
Click the 'Confirm changes' > A dialog box will open.
Add a descriptive comment to differentiate the versions, for example, "Main file"> OK.
Tip: Before you make changes, confirm the original file in the change log. This will allow you to compare future versions with it, and restore the main file if necessary.
While you continue to edit the workbook, continue sending versions to the Change Log whenever you think it is necessary:
Make changes> When you're ready, click 'Commit changes'> Add a descriptive comment> OK.
Note: A version is confirmed only via the 'Commit changes' button. If you simply save the file, the version will not be committed to the change log.
How to view and differentiate recent changes before confirming a release
Make changes> Click 'Commit changes'.
To view and differentiate changes, double-click the modified worksheet.
A new Temp workbook will open. The current and latest versions are placed in separate tabs. The latest version has changes highlighted in red.
Review the result> click OK to confirm this new version, or cancel to re-edit the workbook.
How to save versions of excel spreadsheet in git repository
All versions of a workbook that have been committed to the change log are stored in the git repository on your computer. Being a widely adopted system for revision control, Git accurately records all changes and does not take up much disk space.
Immediately after Version Control is activated, a new Git 'WorkbookName_Revisions' repository folder automatically appears in the same destination folder as your workbook. This is the git repository that securely stores all versions of the workbook.
Important: DO NOT delete, rename, or move this folder. Otherwise, the history of all versions will be lost.
How to open the Change Log and see who made the changes and when
Click the 'Change Log' button on the XLTools tab> A window with all confirmed versions will open.
Review the version list: Displays comments, author, and the exact time the version is uploaded.
How to compare two versions of an Excel spreadsheet
Click the 'Change Log' > A window with all confirmed versions will open.
Expand/collect the list to find the versions of the worksheet you want to compare.
Select two Excel sheets by pressing the 'Ctrl' button > Click the 'Show changes' button.
XLTools generates a new Temp workbook. The worksheet with the 'Latest' version displays the changes highlighted in red.
How to restore and revert to an earlier version of the Excel workbook
You can open any previously confirmed version of a workbook and save it as a separate file. This is a useful Excel backup tool - at any time you can recover or revert to an older version.
Click the 'Change record' button > select the version of the workbook you want to restore.
Click the 'Save' button > name and save as a separate Excel file.
Or: Click the 'Open' button to open the version first> File> Save as> Name and save the file.
How to use versioning for an Excel shared workbook
The XLTools Version Control add-in helps organize group work and collaborate on shared spreadsheets effectively.
Make sure that all members of your team have the XLTools add-in installed on their PCs.
Place the workbook in a shared folder on your> Share the workbook with team members.
Note: To confirm versions, team members must have read and write permissions. This prevents someone outside the group from editing the version-controlled workbook.
Each member can confirm and compare versions and view the change log.
System requirements:
CPU: 1.8 GHz dual core processor
RAM: 2 GB
HDD / SSD: 50 GB of free space on the main drive
Operating system: Microsoft Windows 8 32-bit, Microsoft Windows 7 32-bit and Microsoft Windows Vista 32-bit
Resolution: 1024×768
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