SharePoint Version History: a practical guide

Versioning represents one of the main features of SharePoint as a document manager. In fact, it simplifies the management of content in a list or document library by tracking all versions that are created after a change is made to a file. Once enabled, this feature allows you to access version history, view information about individual changes made to a file, and restore any of the previous versions.

In this article, we will look at what SharePoint versioning is, what it allows you to do, how to enable it within a list or library, and how to disable it. Finally, we will discuss best practices for managing content in SharePoint so that you never exceed available storage.

SharePoint Version History: What is it?

"Versioning" refers to one of the key features of SharePoint as a document manager, which allows it to store, track, and restore versions of files in a list or document library. With this functionality, SharePoint can create a version whenever a change is made to a file and allow enabled users to:

• access the version history of individual files in a list or document library;
• view information such as date and author of each change to a file;
• roll a file back to any previous version saved in the history.

This makes it easier to manage the content that is stored within a SharePoint site, especially when files and documents are created and edited collaboratively with colleagues or even people outside the organization (as long as they have the right access permissions).

Window to view version history in SharePoint

SharePoint versioning is available by default for any type of file in a list or library, including pages on a site. However, the mechanism behind this functionality changes depending on whether files are created or modified in a list or in a document library.

In document libraries, versions are created either for major changes (e.g., adding a section to a document) or for minor changes, such as correcting a spelling error. In contrast, lists can keep in history only versions that arose from major changes. In both, it is possible to limit the number of versions stored.

To close our brief introduction, let us summarize below what versioning allows you to do within SharePoint.

How to manage version control in SharePoint

The versioning system allows you to track and manage the information stored within SharePoint lists and document libraries, as well as view, compare, and restore any of the versions in a document's history.

When versioning is enabled, new versions of a file are created in the following cases:

1. When a file is created for the first time or is uploaded to SharePoint.
2. When a file is uploaded that has the same name as an existing file and the "Add as new version to existing files" command is used.
3. When the properties of a file are changed.
4. When a file is opened, edited and saved using the "Save for the first time" command. When the "Save" command is clicked, a new version is not in fact created so as not to overload the history.
5. When a file is extracted, edited and reinserted into SharePoint.

For Microsoft 365 clients, versioning in SharePoint is automatically enabled when a list or document library is created. For those using SharePoint Server, version control is enabled by default only when a document library is created.

It is therefore important to know how to enable this feature within both a library and a list in order to take full advantage of SharePoint's capabilities.

Let's look at the necessary steps below.

How to enable version history in SharePoint

To enable SharePoint versioning, you must have editing permission for the list or library where you intend to enable version history. Once you have the proper permission from the administrator, you can proceed as follows:

1. Open the list or document library where you intend to enable version history.
2. Go to Settings and then select "List settings" or "Library settings."
3. Select "Versioning settings" to configure the saving of versions.

The following configurations are available for versioning a document library:

1. Require approval for submitted files.
2. Create a version every time a file is modified, saving only the main versions or as many main versions as secondary versions.
3. Limit the number of versions to be stored in history.
4. Delete versions based on age. Remember that setting this limit causes versions older than the predetermined age to be deleted without being moved to the recycle bin. It is therefore not possible to retrieve them once the limit is exceeded.

Instead, for versioning a list, the following options are available (some in common with those available for a library):

1. Require approval for submitted items.
2. Create a version each time an item is changed, using only major versions (thus excluding versions due to minor changes).
3. Limit the number of versions to be stored in history.
4. Indicate users who can view items in draft.

How versioning works when approval request is enabled

When the approval request is enabled within a SharePoint list or library, files awaiting approval are marked as in draft. The moment approval is confirmed, the status changes to "Approved" and the file is made visible to all users with access permission to the list or library in which it is located.

If approval is rejected, the status remains "Pending" and the file remains accessible to users with permission to view drafts.

With that clarified, here is how SharePoint versioning works for files that require approval:

1. A major version must be published before the file can be approved. Minor versions are considered drafts, visible only to the author and people with permission to approve content on a given list or library.
2. For users with permission to read but not view drafts, only the latest approved version or major version of the file is made accessible.
3. If main and secondary versions are tracked in a document library and no one has published a main version, the file in question will be visible only to users with permission to view drafts.

How to disable version history in SharePoint

Users who have permission to manage a list or document library in SharePoint have the option of disabling the built-in versioning system (although this is not recommended).

However, the process for disabling version history is not straightforward either in the case of a list, where the "No versioning" option has been removed, or in the case of a document library, where version control is enabled by default.

Technical support must then be sought to disable the versioning system through the use of PowerShell or the newly introduced SharePoint CSOM (Client-side Object Model).

Important note: If SharePoint versioning is disabled for a list or library where history is present, versions saved up to that point are not deleted. However, important content management features, such as co-authoring, are disabled.

SharePoint Versioning Storage Space: How to avoid exceeding the available quota

Limiting the number of versions is a frequently recommended best practice. In fact, imposing a limit on the number of versions to be stored allows you to:

• save storage space in SharePoint;
• keep in order the lists and libraries that are used daily to manage projects, procedures, communications and other key resources for the SharePoint site and a company's operations.

A second best practice concerns the cleaning of archives, which should be done periodically so as not to lose the benefits seen above. Despite this, for many companies, cleaning SharePoint lists and document libraries is a difficult task to manage, as it requires a significant amount of time (especially if all versions of files must be saved for legal reasons).

In this case, the advice is to either transfer the files with related versions to an external backup repository or contact a team of experts to learn how to make the best use of the space available in SharePoint and the integrated Microsoft 365 environment.

With a few days of consulting, we can train users on how to keep archives in the corporate cloud clean, acting on their management rather than their location (so it is not a simple migration from one archive to another).

It thus becomes possible to:

• Improve storage space management in Microsoft 365, on your own.
• Maintain collaboration features, which are lost with Microsoft 365 Archive.

In this way, our experts can help your company efficiently manage archives in Microsoft 365, without depending on the IT department and without giving up the collaboration features that would be lost with the purchase of new storage space.

The process is simple.

We start by quickly scanning all archives in Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, and OneDrive, analyzing the versions of the files present.

We calculate the storage occupied by the individual file versions to report back to the company how much space it could free up by deleting content, depending on the utility.

To accurately identify less useful versions, we can implement rules for custom analysis that focus on specific SharePoint sites, files with versions older than a specific date, or files of certain types.

Other benefits of our consulting service include the following:

1. Implementation of a scheduled verification flow, to determine how often to analyze archives in Microsoft 365 and thus ensure constant monitoring of the available quota.
2. Insight into storage management and advice on how to properly store files in the cloud.

Finally, it should be noted that our experts also offer support in managing storage space in OneDrive. Users will then learn how to manage OneDrive storage on a personal and corporate level. Independently, so as not to depend on the IT department.

To learn more, we recommend reading our article on why to
rely on intranet.ai to improve the digital workplace in Microsoft 365.

In the table below, we see in more detail the benefits of consulting offered by our experts to optimize storage space management in SharePoint and Microsoft 365.

What is SharePoint versioning?

Versioning is a SharePoint feature that allows storing, tracking, and restoring versions of files in a list or document library. With this feature, SharePoint can create a version every time a file is modified, enabling authorized users to access the version history, view information such as date and author of changes, and restore any of the previous versions.

How do you enable version history in SharePoint?

To enable versioning in SharePoint, you need edit permissions for the list or library. Once authorized, open the list or document library, go to settings, select "List settings" or "Library settings," and then "Versioning settings" to configure version saving.

What are the configuration options for versioning a document library in SharePoint?

The configuration options for versioning a document library in SharePoint include: requiring approval for submitted files, creating a version each time a file is modified, saving only major versions or both major and minor versions, limiting the number of versions to store in history, and deleting versions based on age.

How do you disable version history in SharePoint?

To disable version history in SharePoint, users with permission to manage a list or document library can request technical support to deactivate the versioning system via PowerShell or SharePoint CSOM. It is important to note that saved versions up to that point are not deleted, but content management features like co-authoring are disabled.

What are the best practices for managing storage space in SharePoint?

Best practices for managing storage space in SharePoint include: limiting the number of versions to save to conserve storage space, performing periodic cleanups of archives, transferring files with related versions to an external backup archive, and implementing custom rules for analyzing less useful versions.

How does SharePoint versioning work during co-authoring?

When co-authoring is enabled in SharePoint, multiple users can work simultaneously on the same document. Every change is tracked and saved as a new version. When a user saves changes to a co-authored document, SharePoint saves a new version of the document that includes all changes made by all co-authors.

What are the differences between major and minor versions in SharePoint?

Major versions are represented by whole numbers (e.g., 1.0, 2.0) and indicate significant milestones such as publication or document review. Minor versions, represented by decimal numbers (e.g., 1.1, 1.2), are used for minor changes and drafts. Major versions are visible to all users with access permissions, while minor versions can be restricted to specific users.