3 Tricks to Perform Google Drive Version Control

Google Drive Verison Control

According to Google Drive version history limit: Google Drive helps you keep the file verison history on Google Drive up to 100 versions or within 30 days. If you want to keep the Google Drive version history and don’t want to be deleted, you could keep it forever.

Google Drive provides you the Manage Versions option for PDF files, images and other files (not folder) stored in Google Drive. Hence, it’s normal if you find the Google Drive manage versions missing problem on Google Drive folder.

Below, we will show you the tricks on how to perform Google Drive version control. Please make sure you are the owner or editor of the file before manage your Google Drive versions.

Trick 1. Make Google Drive Files Keep Forever

To make the Google Drive file version history keep forever after 100 versions or 30 days, please do the following steps to keep file versions forever on Google Drive:

1. Log in to your Google Drive account.

2. Select and right-click the Google Drive file, then choose Manage versions option at the context menu.

3. Click the More options (the three-dots icon) behind the Google Drive file version, then tick Keep Forever.

Trick 2. Google Drive Restore Previous Version

For Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides files, please take the following for references to take Google docs version control:

1. Open your Google Docs, Sheets, or Slides file, Tap the Last edit was * ago (open version history) link. It will show you the Google docs/Sheets/Slides version histories.

2. Click the More actions (the three-dots icon) behind the Google file version history you want to restore, and select Restore this version. Or you could select the Google Drive file version history and tap the Restore this version button at the top left.

You could complete the Google Docs/Sheets/Slides version control easily now.

For those non-Google Drive files, take the below actions to restore Google Drive previous version:

1. Select the Google Drive file and right click it, select Manage versions.

2. Tap the More actions icon (the three-dots) behind the previous version you want to restore, choose Download.

3. To restore Google Drive previous version, please click UPLOAD NEW VERSION button, then choose the Google drive old version you downloaded, and click Open.

Then your Google Drive file has been restored to the previous version.

Trick 3. Delete Google Drive Old Versions

There is another trick for Google Drive version control if you don’t want to keep the Google Drive version history: delete Google Drive older version.

Here is how to delete older Google Drive old versions:

Way 1. Delete Google Drive old version automatically

The old Google Drive version history will be deleted automatically after 30 days or over 100 versions. And you can wait to get it to be deleted or delete it manually.

Way 2. Delete Google Drive old version manually

1. Log in to your Google Drive account.

2. Select the Google Drive file and right-click it, choose Manage versions.

3. Choose the Google Drive version history, and tap More actions icon (the three-dots), and select Delete to delete old version for Google Drive file.

What If Google Drive Storage Full?

According to Google Drive announcement, any newly created Google Docs, Sheets, Drawings, Forms, or Jamboard files will count toward Google Drive storage since June 1, 2021. the existing files will not count toward storage, unless they’re modified on or after June 1, 2021.

Since then, you may find the Google Drive will be filled up quickly, and if you want to keep all Google Drive versions and don’t want to upgrade your Google Drive account, what should you do to increase cloud storage for Google Drive for free?

Fortunately, if you have multiple Google Drive accounts, or other clouds (Dropbox, OneDrive, etc), it’s highly recommended to try the free cloud backup service CBackup to merge multiple Google Drive accounts or combine multiple clouds into one big backup space.

Step 1. Download CBackup and launch it, create a free CBackup account and sign in.

Step 2. Tap My Storage > Add Clouds, choose Google Drive, and click Add. Then follow the steps to allow CBackup to access your Google Drive account.

Step 3. Edit the Cloud Name and the Storage Path, and tick “Note: Please don't modify or delete the CBackup path or backup files in your Google Drive account.” option, and click OK.

Step 4. You can repeat the step 2 and step 3 to add other Google Drive accounts or even different clouds, then click My Storage > + Add Combined Cloud, then tick all your Google Drive accounts and click Next, then change cloud order to store backup files, and click OK.

Now, your Google Drive storage space has been increased.

How to Perform Google Drive Version Control after June 1, 2021?

After Google Drive storage space has been increased, you could backup files to Google Drive or backup files from cloud to cloud via CBackup, and it provides you a flexible way to perform Google Drive version control.

Step 1. Sign in to your CBackup web version.

Step 2. Tap the Backup tab, then click the Backup Public Cloud to Public Cloud button to create a new Google Drive backup task.

Step 3. Rename the Task Name, and choose the Google Drive account you added before to CBackup as the Source, then choose another Google Drive account as the Destination. Press the Start Backup button to backup files between two Google Drive accounts.

Now the Google Drive version control of CBackup is more easier and flexible than Google Drive version control.

Final Words

In this post you will find how to manage Google Drive version history, including Google Drive keeps version history forever, Google Drive restore previous version, delete Google Drive old versions.

The Google Docs, Sheets, Drawings, Forms, or Jamboard files will count towards to Google Drive quota, so you probably encounter the Google Drive storage full problem, it’s recommended to try CBackup to make full use of the free storage space on multiple clouds, then perform a flexible way to Google Drive version control.