The Google Docs backup trick everybody should know

Anyone who frequently writes documents has had that moment where a big edit goes sideways. So what do you do when you’ve deleted a paragraph you needed, rewrote half a document only to regret the whole thing, or opened a shared file and scratched your head, wondering who changed what? There’s no need to freak out. Google Docs has a safety net called “version history” that remembers every version of your work.

To find it, open your document and go to File > Version history > See version history. You’ll see older drafts listed by date and time on the right side of the screen. You can click on any of them to preview how the document looked at that point. Google also shows who made changes, with different colors tied to different editors, which I find really helpful when several people are working in the same file as me.

If you find the draft you want, click Restore this version, and Google Docs will replace your current document with that older draft. You can also make a separate copy of an older version if you only want to recover a section without replacing your current work.

One habit I highly recommend is naming important versions before you make any major changes. Go to File > Version history > Name current version and give it a useful label such as “First draft” or “Final draft before edits.” Named versions are much easier to spot later, and Google even says naming a version also keeps it from being merged with other revisions later.

It only takes a few seconds, but it can save you from the headaches of trying to remember your earlier brilliant idea before someone accidentally deleted it.

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