See who changed a row: SharePoint version history

Short answer: in a SharePoint list, select the three dots next to the item, choose Version history, and read the Modified By and date on each version. To see who last touched every row at a glance, show the Modified By column in your view. Exact names may differ on your screen.

Why this matters

A shared tracker has several people editing it. Then one day a due date is wrong, a status flipped to Done, or an amount changed. The first question is always the same: who changed this, and what was it before?

In a plain spreadsheet that question is harder. Excel for Microsoft 365 has a Show Changes pane that lists who changed which cell, for changes in the past 365 days. A list keeps history per item, so the answer is a few clicks away.

Two different tools

Do not mix these up. They answer different questions.

Modified By answers: who touched this row last?
Version history answers: who touched it each time, when, and what did it look like before?

Use Modified By for a quick scan. Use Version history when you need the full story of one row.

Step 1. Open the version history of one item

Open your list.
Next to the item, select the three dots (...). If you do not see Version history, select More first.
Select Version history.
A window opens with a list of versions. Each one shows a date and time and the person who saved it.
To look closer at an older version, hover over its date, select the arrow, and choose View.
When you are done, close the window with the X in the upper right corner.

Microsoft's own page lists these steps for the modern list view. Menu names change over time, so exact names may differ on your screen.

Step 2. Read what changed

Open a version to see the values it held. That is how you find the version you want: look for the version where the value you care about changed.

If the changes are not listed on your screen, open the version before and the version after with View, and compare the two.

Step 3. Restore an old value

If someone entered a wrong value, you can go back.

Open Version history for the item.
Hover over the date of the version you want and select the arrow.
Choose Restore.

Restore makes the old values the current ones. Check the item afterward to confirm it looks right. The same menu also offers Delete for a version. Be careful with it. Deleting a version removes part of the record of who did what.

One way to start: restore only when the owner of the row agrees. Tell them what you changed back and why.

Step 4. Show Modified By in your view

Modified By is a column that SharePoint creates automatically when you create a list. Microsoft's column page says that certain columns, such as Title and Modified By, are created automatically. You can show it in a view so you see who last edited each row without opening anything.

Open your list.
Use the column header menu or the view options to add or show a column.
Pick Modified By (and Modified, which holds the date, if you want it).
Save the view so the choice stays.

Microsoft's view page says that columns you show or hide are saved with the view. The exact place to show or hide columns varies, so exact names may differ.

You can also sort or filter by Modified By from the column headers. Sorting is handy for the question "what did this person change this week?"

Step 5. Check that versioning is on

For lists, versioning is a setting. If you cannot see useful history, check it.

Open the list.
Select the Settings gear, then List Settings.
Select Versioning settings.
Look at the option to create a version each time you edit an item in the list.
Look at the option to limit the number of versions. Select OK to save any change.

You need the right permission to change this. If you do not see the setting, ask your site owner. Microsoft's page does not say who must have which permission to open this setting, so check with your admin.

If Version history is empty or shows one version

Microsoft's page says: "When enabled, new versions are added to an item's history after changes are saved." So history can only start after versioning is on. Our advice, not a Microsoft rule: check these in order.

Check that versioning is on (Step 5 above).
Check whether the item was only ever saved once. One save means one version.
Check that you can open the item at all. If not, ask your site owner.

For more, see "SharePoint list version history is blank or missing".

Limits and retention

Microsoft's page says you can "Limit the number of versions and drafts to retain." Version count is set separately for each list and library. If an item is edited more times than the limit, older versions can drop off. A busy row in a busy list can reach the limit. Open Versioning settings to see the number set on your list.

Microsoft Learn explains that for libraries, versions that exceed the limit are marked for permanent deletion and skip the recycle bin. That page is about document libraries. Check with your admin to see how it applies to your lists.

Every version also counts toward storage. Check with your admin about the storage plan for your tenant. Also check with your admin about retention policies, which can change how long versions are kept.

Keep a record that survives version limits

Our advice, not a Microsoft rule: for rows where the record matters, add a second list called Audit log. A flow writes one new row to it each time an important column changes: the item ID, the column, the new value, who and when. Rows in that list are not trimmed when a version limit removes old versions of the original item. Test the flow with one item before you rely on it.

How this compares with a spreadsheet

Here is the plain difference.

A spreadsheet keeps versions of the whole file, plus a Show Changes pane for cell edits from the past 365 days in Excel for Microsoft 365.
A list keeps versions of each item. You open one row and see its history.
Show Changes in Excel is a feature of Excel for Microsoft 365. It skips formatting changes, and an edit in an older Excel can clear it. A list shows Modified By on every row, and the history shows each save.
A list can have a version limit per item, so very old changes on a busy row can drop off.

If you are weighing the move, see "Replace a spreadsheet tracker with a SharePoint list". If your pain is many copies of one file, see "Spreadsheet versions out of sync: why it happens and how to fix it".

A good use: incident and audit trails

Version history is most useful where the record matters, such as an incident log. See "How to set up an incident log in SharePoint". When someone asks later who changed a severity or closed an entry, the history answers it.

What to avoid

Do not treat Modified By as the full story. It shows only the last person to save. Use Version history for the rest.
Do not delete versions to tidy up. It removes proof.
Do not rely on history that was never turned on. Check the versioning settings before you need them.
Do not assume the version limit is high enough. A row edited many times may lose its oldest versions.

Honest limits

History tells you what was saved and by whom. It does not tell you why. Add a Notes column or ask people to write a short reason when they change an important field. Also, a change made by a flow shows the account the flow's connection uses, not the person who started it. Last, history is only as good as the settings behind it. Test it on one item before you rely on it.

When to get help

You can build all of this yourself in Microsoft 365. If you would rather have it built and tested for your team, I do that. A tracker like this is a fixed price: $5,000 for one, built in 2 weeks. See "What a SharePoint tracker costs to build". Bring one example of the problem to a free call.

Tell me what's still manual

I am Al Davies. I run 250 High Street LLC and build SharePoint trackers and Power Automate flows for operations teams. I work remotely. The first call is free, and I will not try to sell you anything.

See trackers I built: Tools I built

FAQ

Can I see who changed one cell in a list?

Yes, through Version history on that item. Open the item, pick the version, and look at the values it held. If your window does not list the changes, compare the version before and after.

Why is SharePoint list version history not showing?

Versioning may be off, or the item may have been saved only once. Microsoft says new versions are added "when enabled", so history starts when versioning is turned on.

Is version history on by default?

Microsoft's versioning page does not state a default for lists. Open Versioning settings on your list to check.

Can I undo a change?

Yes. Open Version history, hover over the date of the version you want, select the arrow, and choose Restore. Check the item afterward.

Is there a limit on SharePoint list item versions?

A list can have one. Microsoft says you can "Limit the number of versions and drafts to retain." Open Versioning settings to see yours.

Do old versions ever disappear?

They can. When an item has more versions than the limit, older ones can be removed. Check with your admin about retention policies.