How to Track Every Change to Your Excel Files

Excel's Track Changes feature was deprecated in 2019. If your team shares spreadsheets, you need a better way to see what changed, who changed it, and when.

The problem with Excel's built-in options

Track Changes (deprecated)

Microsoft removed Track Changes from modern Excel versions. Even when it worked, it had limitations:

• Only tracked cell edits, not structural changes
• Slowed down large files
• Required everyone to use the same file

Version History in Microsoft 365

If you use OneDrive or SharePoint, Excel saves versions automatically. But:

• You can only see that a version exists, not what changed
• Comparing versions requires opening each one manually
• No way to tag or organize important versions

Better ways to track Excel changes

Method 1: Export and compare

1. Save your Excel file as CSV
2. Upload to a version control tool like Loada
3. See exactly which rows and cells changed

This gives you a clear, visual diff showing:

• Rows added (highlighted in green)
• Rows deleted (highlighted in red)
• Cells modified (showing old → new values)

Method 2: Use the Loada Excel Add-in

For teams who want to stay in Excel:

1. Install the Loada add-in from the Office store
2. Connect to your Loada workspace
3. Pull versioned data directly into your spreadsheet
4. Push updates when you're done

Your team gets full version history without leaving Excel.

What changes should you track?

Focus on spreadsheets where changes matter:

| Spreadsheet Type | Why Track Changes | |------------------|-------------------| | Financial reports | Audit trail, compliance | | Customer lists | Know when records were added/removed | | Inventory data | Track stock changes over time | | Pricing sheets | See who changed prices and when |

Setting up change tracking for your team

Step 1: Centralize your data

Move critical spreadsheets from email attachments and local drives to a central location with version control.

Step 2: Establish a workflow

Define when new versions should be created:

• After each editing session?
• Daily snapshots?
• Before and after major updates?

Step 3: Train your team

Show everyone how to:

• Upload new versions
• Compare changes
• Restore previous versions if needed

The bottom line

Excel wasn't built for collaboration. But your team's data deserves better than "hope nobody overwrites my changes."

With proper change tracking, you'll spend less time figuring out what changed and more time actually using your data.

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