How to Delete Revision History in Google Docs Quickly

revision history google docs How to Delete Revision History in Google Docs Quickly

Revision history is a good way to track what has been changed on a document, particularly if there is a group of people involved in the document. In an online-based service like Google Docs, this seems pretty obvious as an easy collaboration is the main standpoint.

But, revisions can be a privacy concern if you want to share the document but wouldn’t let them see what’s changed and who has been contributed.

While Google Docs doesn’t really offer a delete button on any particular document, at least there is a workaround that could clean the revision history quickly. Here’s how.

1. Open the document on Google Docs, go to File > Make a copy.

make a copy How to Delete Revision History in Google Docs Quickly

2. Then hit OK. I suggest you not changing the default name to avoid confusion over the original document.

new document ok How to Delete Revision History in Google Docs Quickly

3. Now, go back to the Google Docs main page and Remove the original document.

remove 1 How to Delete Revision History in Google Docs Quickly

4. Click Move to Trash.

move trash How to Delete Revision History in Google Docs Quickly

5. Rename the copy of the original document.

rename How to Delete Revision History in Google Docs Quickly

6. Use the same name from the original document.

rename with the original name ok How to Delete Revision History in Google Docs Quickly

7. To see the result, open the document, go to File > Version history > See version history. The version history should be empty by now.

see version history How to Delete Revision History in Google Docs Quickly

The duplication will create the exact same copy of the document but without revisions. In case you changed your mind, the original document can always be recovered within 30 days. Learn more about recovering deleted Google Docs here.

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