Home · Excel · Track changes in Excel
Track changes in Excel: what each option records
Excel has no single "track changes" like Word's. It has several partial ones, each answering a slightly different question: who edited this cell, what did the file look like last week, how do two versions differ, where does this formula get its inputs. Here is what each records, what it misses, and what to do when the real question is "why is this number different from last month".
The options at a glance
| Feature | Answers | Needs | Misses |
|---|---|---|---|
| Show Changes | Who changed which cell, when, and the old value | Microsoft 365, a workbook in OneDrive or SharePoint, everyone editing in apps that support co-authoring | Formatting, charts and objects, PivotTables, hiding and filtering; often the old value when VBA or an add-in made the change; anything older than 365 days |
| Track Changes (Legacy) | A change log with accept and reject | Excel for Windows; re-added to the ribbon by hand | It turns the file into a shared workbook, which switches off tables and other modern features; history kept 30 days by default |
| Version history | What the whole file looked like at an earlier save | A file in OneDrive or SharePoint | Which cells differ between two versions — you open both and look |
| Spreadsheet Compare | Cell by cell differences between two workbooks | Excel for Windows with Office Professional Plus or Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise | Not on Mac or in most home and small-business plans |
| Formula auditing | Where a formula's inputs come from | Any Excel (Formulas → Trace Precedents, Trace Dependents, Evaluate Formula) | Anything outside the workbook, and anything that happened in the past |
From Microsoft's support documentation, checked September 30, 2026.
Show Changes
In Microsoft 365, Review → Show Changes opens a pane listing edits to the workbook: who, when, which cell, and the previous value, for up to 365 days. It is the closest thing to Word's track changes, with two catches worth knowing before you rely on it. First, it only records what co-authoring apps record: edits from an older or one-time-purchase Excel can't be tracked, and they clear the pane. Second, whole kinds of change never appear — formatting, charts and shapes, PivotTable operations, hiding and filtering — and values written by VBA or add-ins often show without their old value.
Track Changes (Legacy)
The old feature is still there on Windows, hidden. File → Options → Customize Ribbon, choose Commands Not in the Ribbon, add Track Changes (Legacy) to a new group. Turning it on converts the file into a shared workbook, which is why Microsoft retired it: tables, co-authoring and a list of newer features stop working in a shared workbook. Its history is kept for 30 days unless you change it.
Version history
For files in OneDrive or SharePoint, File → Info → Version History lists earlier saves; open one to see it, or restore it. It answers "what did this look like on Tuesday" well, and "what exactly changed" poorly. To see the differences, open the two versions and compare them — our free compare two Excel files tool does that in the browser, cell by cell, without uploading either file.
Formula auditing is a different question
Trace Precedents and Trace Dependents draw arrows between a cell and the cells it uses or feeds; Evaluate Formula steps through a calculation. They explain how a number is computed now, not how it came to change. People searching "excel formula auditing" usually want both.
When the question is "why is this different from last month"
Most change-tracking questions in finance aren't about who typed in a cell. They are about a report that is rebuilt every month from new files: this month's total for a customer moved, and you need to know whether the source data changed, a row went missing, or someone changed how it is calculated. None of the features above keeps that history, because each month is a new workbook.
TableDI 2 is a desktop app for file work you redo every period: it keeps your sources, rules and delivery as a job, so next month you drop in the new files and run it again. Everything runs on your own machine.
- The run log, in every edition, lists each period: when it ran, the difference, and which version of the rules it used.
- Rules are versioned. Changing a step makes a new version; periods already run keep the version they ran with, and files already delivered stay as they were.
- Decisions are written down. A row waived for a period carries its reason into the delivery, and if it comes back next period it shows with that reason.
- History, in the lifetime edition, keeps every row of every period with the period, file, rules version and who ran it. Click a number in the result and Six periods of this number shows how that cell moved, next to the rules version each period used.
It does not track edits inside your workbooks — it never edits them. It reads the files you give it each period and keeps its own record. It runs on macOS; Windows is in progress.
Questions people ask
Where is Track Changes in Excel?
In Microsoft 365 the Review tab has Show Changes instead. The old Track Changes still exists on Windows as Track Changes (Legacy): add it through File → Options → Customize Ribbon → Commands Not in the Ribbon. Turning it on makes the file a shared workbook, which disables tables and other newer features.
How far back does Show Changes go?
Up to 365 days, according to Microsoft. Older changes aren't listed; for those, open an earlier version from Version History, if the file is in OneDrive or SharePoint.
Why are some changes missing from Show Changes?
Formatting, charts and objects, PivotTable operations and hiding or filtering are not recorded. Edits made in older or one-time-purchase versions of Excel can't be tracked and clear the list, and changes made by VBA or add-ins often appear without the previous value.
Can I see who changed a cell in Excel?
Yes, if the workbook is in OneDrive or SharePoint and everyone edits it in Microsoft 365 or Excel for the web: right-click the cell and choose Show Changes to see that cell's history.
How do I compare two versions of an Excel file?
On Windows with the right Office edition, Spreadsheet Compare. Anywhere, our free compare two Excel files tool shows added, removed and changed rows in the browser without uploading either file.
Related
Doing this every month?
In TableDI 2 you do it once, then save it as a job. Next month you drop in the new files and run it again.
macOS, Apple silicon and Intel; Windows is in progress (what to do meanwhile). Free is not a trial — no account, no card.
Last reviewed 2026-09-30 by the TableDI team. Something wrong on this page? Tell us — it is one inbox, read by the people who build TableDI.