How to review and restore previous document versions on Mac

In this handy tutorial, we’ll show you how to browse and restore previous versions of documents in Pages, Numbers, Keynote, Text Edit, and Preview on your Mac.

Restore previous versions of a document on Mac

Each time a file is saved, whether it is manually or automatically, a version history is recorded. So, if you ever decide that you need to review previous versions and maybe even restore the document to one of those, you have the option to do that.

Recover your document from the Trash if needed

If you have already moved the file to the Trash, you can still review and restore its versions. However, you have to recover it from the Trash first. Just follow these steps to put the document back.

1) Open the Trash on your Mac.

2) Select your document.

3) Either right-click or hit Control and click, then select Put Back.

Restore From Trash on Mac

Now, follow the steps below to review and restore previous versions.

Review and restore previous versions of your document

Navigate to your document and open it with your preferred application, such as Pages, Numbers, TextEdit, or even Preview for images. Then, do the following.

1) With your file open in the application, click File from the top menu bar.

2) Move down to Revert To and select Browse All Versions from the pop-out menu.

Revert to Browse Versions Pages

You will then see the current version of your document along with previous versions in a full-screen view. If there are no previous versions of the file, such as with an image, you will see that displayed.

No Previous Versions of Document

Use the arrows next to the previous versions to move through each one. Alternatively, you can use the timeline on the right side of the screen to quickly jump to a specific day or time.

Browse Previous Versions of Document

When you see the version you want, click Restore. To simply browse through those versions without restoring one, click Done when you finish. And to go back to the current version and continue working, select Current Document on the left.

There are many reasons that you may want to review and restore a previous version of a document. Maybe you were collaborating with others who made edits, maybe you decided an earlier version was the one you really needed, or maybe you just wanted to see when changes were made and what they were.

In any case, these simple steps can help you find those old document versions. Do you have any tips like this for working with documents on your Mac that you’d like to share? If so, feel free to leave a comment below.

And, if you need help enabling the Save As option for your documents or with sharing files between Mac users, we’ve got you covered.

On a related note: How to view and restore previous versions of a document in Pages, Numbers and Keynote on iPhone or iPad