Page & Document Versioning - Rollback Changes

One feature of our SharePoint Production environment is the versioning of Documents and Pages added to your sites. 

What is Versioning

Versioning is the method by which successive iterations of a document are numbered and saved. This is to allow for document or page updates to be 'rolled back' if an error is made or a new change includes or creates a bug. This is a system setup automatically within the backend of each SharePoint site. This document will help you find and access these versions.

For more information about what versioning is please see Microsoft's document about Versioning in SharePoint.

Please note that during the upcoming migration to SharePoint SE, the number of past versions saved might be lowered to reduce the data that needs to be migrated.

What isn't Versioning

Versioning isn't to be confused with your own internal duplication of documents to create new 'versions' or drafts.

Take this Document Library example:

For your agencies internal usage these 2 documents might be similar copies of the same document with minor changes. However, SharePoint treats these as 2 completely different documents. Both documents or 'drafts' in this examples has their own versions saved behind the scenes, and it is those versions we are referring to in this article.

How to access a Documents Version History

If you happen to need to access a Documents previous versions you can do so by opening up that Documents Library and following these steps:

1. Click the 3 little dot icon in that Documents entry
2. Click the 3 little dot icon that appears in the modal that opens
3. Click 'Version History'

The modal that opens will include the previous versions of that document, with the most recent version at the top. Each will be numbered appropriately to the left. 

Rollback a Documents Previous Version

In order to roll back a document to a previous version start by following the steps above to access the version history. With the version history open follow these steps:

1. Mouseover the date of the version you would like to restore to - a caret and dropdown will appear
2. In the dropdown choose Restore
3. A modal will pop that says 'You are about to replace the current version with the selected version.' and asks for confirmation - choose 'OK'
4. A new version and version number will appear at the top of the Version History. Note that this is the previous version you just restored, but the history updates to correctly track your changes

How to access a Pages Version History

Accessing a Page's version history works much the same as a documents, but with a few key differences. To access the history, navigate to the appropriate Pages list on the appropriate subsite and follow these steps:

1. Click the 3 little dot icon in that Pages entry
2. Click the 3 little dot icon that appears in the modal that opens
3. Click 'Version History'

A modal will open that includes a log of the updates to that Page:

One difference in a Pages history is that are minor versions and major versions. The current published version that all visitors to that page will see is the one marked 'This is the current published major version'. Minor versions will only appear to you or your team while logged into the authoring environment. Any minor version needs to be published to be the major version and will then appear for all site visitors.

Rollback a Pages Previous Version

In order to roll a page back to a previous version, we first need to checkout the page, just like when you are editing or updating the page. We can do this from the Pages library, start by following these steps:

1. Click the 3 little dot icon in that Pages entry
2. Click the 3 little dot icon that appears in the modal that opens
3. Mouseover 'Advanced' and choose 'Check Out' 

Now that the page is checked out to you, follow the steps above to access the Pages Version History. With the version history open follow these steps:

1. Mouseover the date of the version you would like to restore to - a caret and dropdown will appear
2. In the dropdown choose Restore
3. A modal will pop that says 'You are about to replace the current version with the selected version.' and asks for confirmation - choose 'OK'
4. A new version and version number will appear at the top of the Version History. Note that this new version is NOT labeled 'This is the current published major version'

Load the page you just restored a previous version on and make sure it appears correct. When you are ready to publish this rolled back version, access the Page list again and follow these steps to Check in your changes:

1. Click the 3 little dot icon in that Pages entry
2. Click the 3 little dot icon that appears in the modal that opens
3. Mouseover 'Advanced' and choose 'Check In' 

In the modal that appears you can choose to check it in as either a major or minor version. If you are ready to publish choose major version or if you want your team to look it over choose minor version. Then click 'OK.'