Sometimes, you might want an earlier version of the existing file(s). This article explains various ways to help you revert the changes made and return to an earlier version of any file on any version of Windows OS.
Do you want to know how to recover older versions of existing files on Windows? Then this article provides all the answers you are looking for.
Mentioned in this are 6 ways to help you go back to an earlier version of the existing files with absolute ease. Solutions include the Undo file option, restoring old versions of existing files from external and cloud backups, and restoring earlier versions of files using in-built tools like Previous Versions, File History, and Temp folders.
You might want to revert to an earlier version of the file(s) for various reasons, including making accidental changes or modifications to the files, data corruption, virus attacks, and historical records to analyze changes and compare progress, etc.
Irrespective of why to want to revert back to an earlier version of any file(s). The solutions explained below will help you recover earlier versions of existing files.
The Undo option is one of the least known and is one of the most neglected options in the Windows system.
This option helps you undo actions such as file deletion, revert the last action, revert the changes made in the files and folders, etc.
If the undo option was unhelpful in restoring the files to an earlier version. Then you can try the next solutions.
Backups come in handy when it comes to restoring older versions of files and folders from any version of Windows as well as Mac OS.
If you have taken a backup of important files and folders and have saved it on any external drive such as an external hard drive, USB, or any other device.
I recommend you try restoring the backup files to revert back to and use the earlier versions of existing files.
You have now safely restored earlier versions of the existing files.
Note: You must be careful when moving files from external devices to your local drive. Any interruptions, such as system shutdown or abrupt removal of the connected device, will result in permanent data loss.
Refer to this article to learn how to recover files lost during transfer.
If you have saved your files on the Cloud, such as Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, or any other Cloud storage.
Then you can also try restoring the backup files from Cloud to restore older versions of existing files.
The files will get downloaded and saved in the Downloads Folder of your Windows system as a zip folder.
You must unzip the folder, extract those files, and save them in any location of your choice.
The OneDrive backup files will get downloaded as zip files in the Download folder. You can extract the ZIP files and save them in any location.
The files downloaded from Dropbox will get downloaded and saved in the Downloads folder of your Windows system.
Note: If you have accidentally deleted or lost files from the Dropbox account. Follow the methods mentioned in this article to learn how to recover deleted or lost keywords from Dropbox.
If by any chance you have deleted or lost downloaded files. Then go through this article to learn how to recover files deleted from the downloads folder.
Microsoft Windows has a built-in feature called Previous Versions that lets Windows users restore previous versions of files and folders that were deleted, lost, or missing from any version of Windows.
Using the restore points, you can restore the earlier versions of existing and no longer available files.
This option is not only used to revert back to previous versions of files; it can also help you recover deleted files and restore deleted folders.
The earlier version of the existing file has been safely restored. Suppose you have not yet restored the files that you want to restore. Then try the next solution.
Refer to this article, If you are curious to know how to recover deleted files on Windows 10.
The File History option is mainly available for Windows 8 and newer versions. The feature lets users take backups of files mainly present in Desktop, Documents, Downloads, Music, Pictures, and Videos folders.
If you have enabled the File History backup option, follow the steps below to restore files.
A temporary file is a type of file that creates and stores information temporarily. One of the core functions of the Temp files is to act as the safety net to prevent data loss.
Undo file deletion, File History, and Previous Versions are the most common ways to recover files. To know more methods, go through this complete article on recovering files from Windows.
If you have, by any chance, deleted or lost some of your files. You can always rely on specialized tools like Remo File Recovery Software to help you recover files.
Conclusion
Restoring an earlier version of the existing files becomes vital when you have accidentally made changes to the files, data or file corruption, glitches, or bugs in the software application, or due to any other reason.
This article has explained in-depth all the possible ways, such as Previous Versions, File History, Undo option, and backups, to help users recover older versions of existing files on Windows.