# Restore an earlier version of a Google Sheet

> Restore a whole spreadsheet from version history, or copy an earlier version and bring back only the range you need without losing newer changes.

Source: https://www.lightinventory.com/help/google-sheets/restore-a-version · Last updated: 2026-10-28

Click **Last edit** at the top right, choose the earlier version, and click **Restore this version**. That replaces the whole spreadsheet. If you only need part of it back, make a copy of the earlier version instead and copy the range from there, so newer changes and cell edit history stay intact.

You need permission to edit the file to see its [version history](https://support.google.com/docs/answer/190843).

## Before you restore

Restoring affects everything in the file, not just the cells you care about.

- Every change made after that version is undone, on every tab, by every person.
- Google says restoring a spreadsheet version "clears the cell-by-cell edit history for any changes made before the restore." If you need that history, make a copy instead.

For an inventory ledger, restoring the whole file also removes every movement recorded since that version. Copying back one range, or adding a correcting movement, is usually safer.

## Restore the whole spreadsheet

1. Open the spreadsheet on your computer.
2. At the top right, click **Last edit**.
3. In the right panel, choose the earlier version. Click **Show unmodified rows** at the bottom right if you want to see rows that didn't change.
4. At the top, click **Restore this version**.
5. Click **Restore**.

## Copy an earlier version and bring back one range

1. Open the spreadsheet and click **Last edit** at the top right.
2. In the right panel, next to the version you want, click **More → Make a copy**.
3. Enter a name for the copy, for example "Inventory before 2026-10-27 paste".
4. Choose where to save it.
5. Click **Share it with the same people** only if others need the copy.
6. Click **OK**.

Now bring the range back into the live file:

1. In the copy, on the tab you need, click the down arrow on the sheet tab.
2. Click **Copy to** and choose the live spreadsheet, then click **Select**. The tab appears in the live file as a new tab.
3. In the live file, select the range you need on that new tab and copy it.
4. Select the first cell of the destination range and click **Edit → Paste special → Paste values only**.
5. Check the result, then delete the temporary tab.

> **Note:** Paste special works only within a single spreadsheet. You [can't copy cells from one spreadsheet and use paste special](https://support.google.com/docs/answer/161768) in another tab. That's why step 2 copies the tab into the live file first.

## Name versions you may need again

Named versions are easy to find and aren't merged with other versions.

1. Click **Last edit** at the top right.
2. Choose the version.
3. Click **More → Name this version** and enter a name.

You can add up to 15 named versions per spreadsheet. To see only those, turn on **Only show named versions**. A good habit for inventory: name a version after every stock count.

## If you can't find the version you need

- Google notes that "the revisions for your file may occasionally be merged," so edits made close together can appear as one version. In the right panel, click **Expand** to see grouped versions.
- If you can't see version history at all, you don't have edit permission. Ask the owner.
- The owner of a file in a personal Google Account can delete unnamed versions, and Google says deleting version history "is permanent and cannot be undone."

## How LightInventory handles reverts

In LightInventory, you don't restore the whole file to undo a mistake. A revert adds a compensating entry: the opposite movement, or the previous field value, recorded in the `Log` tab with who reverted it and when. Other people's changes stay in place, and the history shows both the mistake and the fix. If a managed tab is deleted or cleared in the Sheet itself, LightInventory switches the workspace to read-only and guides you through restoring it from Google version history. See the [audit trail](/features/audit-trail).