How to see the edit history for cells in Google Sheets and spot changes or mistakes in a spreadsheet

• You can see the edit history for cells in Google Sheets to track changes and help prevent mistakes in a spreadsheet.
• The feature is useful for collaborative work or for people who use the same spreadsheet frequently and need to update data.
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One of Google Workspace’s best features across its product suite is its edit history tool, which is available for Docs, Slides, and Sheets.

The feature lets users view previous versions of the file, which can be named and are organized by time and date. Historically, edit history has only been available for the entire file, meaning you couldn’t undo a single change from a past version without reverting its other associated changes. 

That could be particularly frustrating for Sheets users who are frequently working with multiple values, and thus multiple small edits. Fortunately, Google Sheets has now expanded its edit history feature so that you can view the past versions of not only the entire spreadsheet but individual cells within the spreadsheet.

This tool works like the file’s whole edit history. You can view individual edits in order, all the way back to the creation of the cell. So if you’re worried you may have made a mistake in your data entry, you can check the edit history of any problematic cell and confirm or refute your suspicions — without losing any of your work by hitting Undo repeatedly.

Here’s a brief walkthrough of how to see the edit history for cells in Google Sheets. 

How to see edit history for cells in Google Sheets

1. Open the Google Sheet where you wish to view the edit history.

2. Click on the cell you wish to view the edit history for. 

3. Right-click on the cell. In the menu that appears, click on "Show edit history." 

4. To view individual edits, click the arrow icons in the "Edit history" message pane that appears.

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