Forum Discussion
Tracking Changes
Hello, I need to track changes on a shared excel document and I have followed the steps on how to create the shared workbook to track these changes however it simply does not highlight any changes made by anyone other than me. I shared it with a colleague and watched them edit and save the document they then closed it, but when I opened it and selected Track Changes > Highlight changes, it just notifies me that no changed were found. I am certain there must be an easy answer to this however I cannot find it, hopefully someone can tell me where I am going wrong. Thanks
2 Replies
Sounds frustrating @PaulK05PaulK05
A few things could be going wrong here:1️⃣ Track Changes might not actually be enabled – Double-check under Review > Track Changes > Highlight Changes and make sure "Track changes while editing" is ticked.
2️⃣ File format issue – Track Changes only works in .xls (older Excel format). If your file is .xlsx, Excel quietly disables it. Try saving as Excel 97-2003 Workbook (.xls) and re-enabling Track Changes.
3️⃣ AutoSave interference – If the file is on OneDrive/SharePoint, Track Changes doesn’t work properly. Instead, check File > Info > Version History to see who edited what.
4️⃣ Changes aren’t saved before checking – Excel only logs changes when the file is saved. If your colleague made edits but didn’t hit Save before closing, they won’t be tracked.
Try these and see if it works! If not, let me know, and we’ll figure it out. 😊
Thanks for your response! Took a couple of efforts but looks like it is now working, was a mixture of Onedrive and not having it correctly enabled! Thanks for your help!
