SheetTrack

SheetTrack guide for AI assistants

Updated: October 27, 2026

This guide describes every feature of SheetTrack, the Excel add-in, so that an AI assistant can tell a user exactly how to do something. Paste it whole into Copilot, ChatGPT, Claude or another assistant, then ask a question such as "How do I see what changed since last month?". In the pane, Help › Copy guide for your AI copies it; online, the same guide is one file at sheettrack.com/guide.md.

0. For the assistant

What SheetTrack is. SheetTrack is a free add-in for Microsoft Excel that keeps a version history of a workbook, shows exactly which cells and formulas changed, and checks a spreadsheet model for mistakes. It is made for people who build and review financial models. Once a user selects Start tracking, SheetTrack saves versions of the workbook: when they choose to, before an AI assistant edits the model, when they send it to someone, and automatically every few minutes while it changes. The Changes tab lists every changed cell since a moment the user picks (the last version, the start of the month, the version they sent), with the old and new value, the numbers the edits moved, and new issues such as a number typed over a formula. Any change can be undone on its own, and the whole workbook can go back to any version; today's work is saved first, so going back can be undone. The Check tab finds issues such as broken references, circular references and formulas unlike their neighbours, inside Excel. Versions are kept on the user's computer, with an optional private backup in their own OneDrive; teams can share a workbook's history in OneDrive or SharePoint to request and approve reviews. SheetTrack has no account of its own and never stores workbooks on its servers. It works in Excel on Windows and Excel on the web; Excel for Mac is being tested; it does not work on iPad.

1. Ideas

2. Pane map

SheetTrack opens as a pane on the right of Excel. On Excel's "Home" tab, the SheetTrack group has three buttons: SheetTrack opens the pane, What Changed opens it on Changes, and Save Version saves a version at once (on an untracked workbook it starts tracking).

First run. The first time, the pane shows "See what changed in your model" with Start tracking, links to check for issues or compare with a file or a OneDrive version, and Not now. The ⓘ next to "SheetTrack never edits your workbook unless you ask." says where versions are kept.

Header. The pane's first row, left to right:

Changes tab. From top to bottom:

  1. Since, a dropdown, then Refresh changes (a circular arrow). While a comparison is shown, a "Comparing: A → B" tag replaces the dropdown; its ✕ is Stop comparing.
  2. Key numbers, with Watch selection. Each key number shows its name, cell, value now and the move ("▲ +200 (+50%)"), a pencil to edit it, and a count such as "1 change" (its tooltip says "1 change feeds it"), which opens the changes that moved it.
  3. New issues (unless Model checks is off): a bar New issues with Restore formula and Keep typed value, and an ⓘ (What is checked). Nothing shows when every check ran and found nothing (with issues kept as they are, the line says No new issues or "No other new issues"); "No new issues found" when some checks couldn't run.
  4. Changes with its count, an ⓘ (What Changes compares) and Copy summary. Below, one group per sheet ("Inputs · 3 changes"), and a row per change: the cell and its name from the row and column labels; on a second line, a tag when it is not a plain value edit (typed over formula, formula, number → text, added, deleted), then old → new. Selecting a row opens it under itself.
  5. A line about backup when the versions are not backed up: "Only in this browser." (or "Only on this computer.") with Sign in and back up (or Back up) and Later.
  6. At the bottom, always visible: Name this version (a text box), Save version, and ▾ (More ways to save) with Save before AI edits and Mark as sent….

Before tracking starts, Changes shows Start tracking above the list.

History tab:

Check tab: before the first check, "Find issues in your model" and Check workbook. After it: Check again, the Check profile dropdown and Export report (a download arrow); the verdict ("1 warning to review") and its sentence; "352 formulas checked · Today, 3:02 PM" with an ⓘ; "Not checked: …"; "Since your last check: 2 new"; filter chips Errors, Warnings, Notes, New, All; then issues grouped by type.

Team tab. For shared history: Reviews and Activity switch. Reviews has Request review, the list of review requests, and Roles. Activity has Export CSV, Export JSON, the latest version's review, open reviews, change risk, and the event list. Without shared history it shows "Reviews need shared history" and Share history….

Settings (More › Settings) is a full-pane view with a Back arrow and four sections: General, Backup and storage, Team, Help.

3. Tasks

Install and open SheetTrack

  1. In Excel, open "Home" › "Add-ins" (or "Insert" › "Get Add-ins"), search for SheetTrack and select "Add". (SheetTrack is coming to Microsoft AppSource; until then it is not listed.)
  2. On the "Home" tab, select SheetTrack. The pane opens on the right.

Closing the pane only hides it. What it showed is still there when it opens again, until the workbook is closed.

Start tracking a workbook

  1. Open the workbook and the SheetTrack pane.
  2. Select Start tracking (on the first-run screen, or at the top of Changes, or on the empty History tab).

You will see: "Tracking started." The first version, "Started tracking", is the workbook as it was when SheetTrack opened; edits made since then stay listed in Changes. Auto versions start too. The first time, a short tour starts (see "Take the tour").

Nothing is written into the cells. SheetTrack adds a small record to the workbook's document settings (a random history ID and when tracking started), so it recognises the file later.

See what changed

  1. Select the Changes tab.
  2. Read the list: each sheet's changes, each row with the cell, its name and old → new.
  3. To see one change in full, select its row. It opens under itself with the value before (in the named version) and now.
  4. To count from another moment, open Since and pick one (see "Choose what Changes counts from").

The list updates by itself about 2 seconds after edits pause. For a very large workbook, select Refresh changes. Changes made by anyone or anything are listed: the user, a colleague, a macro or another add-in.

When rows or columns were inserted or deleted, the cells that only moved are not listed one by one: a note on the sheet's group says what was inserted or deleted. A renamed sheet is one line ("Inputs → Assumptions"), and so is a change in sheet order.

The ⓘ next to the count (What Changes compares) says: cell values, formulas, sheets and named ranges are compared; formatting, charts, pivot tables and comments are not.

Choose what Changes counts from

  1. On Changes, open Since.
  2. Pick a moment. Each choice shows its time ("Last version · 7:12 PM"), or the version's name when it has one ("Last version: “Friday close”", "Sent to Tom · Oct 2, 6:45 PM"), and they are grouped:
    • "Recent": Last version, Latest auto version, When I opened it, the start of the month by its name (for example "Start of October", and the month before), Before AI edits.
    • "Last sent": Last sent and When it came back.
    • "Versions you saved" and "Saved by SheetTrack": the latest versions by name, then All versions… for any other version.
    • "OneDrive versions": Choose a OneDrive version… (see "Compare with a OneDrive version").
    • "A file on this computer": a file chosen before, and Choose a file… (see "Compare with another file").

Only the moments that exist are offered, each once: while the sent or "Before AI" version is still the newest version, it is Last version; Last sent and Before AI edits appear once a later version is saved. Auto versions don't count: Last version is never an automatic version. The list then shows everything that changed since that moment.

Before Start tracking, there are no earlier versions: Changes can count only from When I opened it, a OneDrive version or a file.

Undo one change

  1. On Changes, select the change's row to open it.
  2. Select Undo change. For a number typed over a formula the button reads Restore formula. When the cells beside it changed the same way (a pasted range, a filled column), Undo all (for example "Undo all 3 (B2:D2)") undoes the whole block.

You will see: a message that the cell is back, with Redo for about 20 seconds. Excel's own "Undo" (Ctrl+Z) reverses it too. SheetTrack saves an automatic version first, so Since does not move.

When comparing with a file or a OneDrive version, the button reads Use the file's value or Use that version's value.

Undo brings back values and formulas, not formatting. It is not offered for a cell that only moved with inserted or deleted rows or columns, or in rows that may have been sorted: use "Go back to an earlier version" instead. A protected sheet must be unprotected first.

Save a version

  1. On Changes, type a name in Name this version (optional).
  2. Select Save version (or press Ctrl+Enter on Changes).

You will see: "Version saved." The version is at the top of History, and Changes now counts from it. Without a name, SheetTrack names it for you.

Saving when nothing changed is allowed: it saves at once and says "Saved (no changes since …)."

Auto versions also save on their own; a version you save yourself is never thinned away.

Save a version before an AI assistant edits the model

  1. On Changes, select ▾ next to Save version (More ways to save).
  2. Select Save before AI edits.

You will see: "Saved "Before AI". Changes now count from here." After the assistant edits the workbook, Changes lists every change it made. Undo any of them on its own, or go back to the "Before AI" version. Since › Before AI edits returns to this moment later.

Mark a version as sent

  1. On Changes, select ▾ next to Save version, then Mark as sent…. (The "Summary copied" sheet also has Mark as sent….)
  2. Optionally fill in Sent to and Note (for example "September board pack").
  3. Select Mark as sent.

You will see: "Marked as sent (…)". The workbook as it is now is saved as a version with the Sent badge. Later, Since › Last sent lists what changed after sending (until another version is saved, the same version is Last version). To change the recipient or note, use the version's ⋯ › Sent details… in History.

Mark the version when you send it: SheetTrack can't mark an older version as sent afterwards. To see what changed since an older version you sent, use its ⋯ › See changes since this version in History.

See what someone changed in a copy you sent

If a tracked workbook (history on this computer) was sent and came back:

  1. Save their file and open it in Excel, then open SheetTrack.
  2. SheetTrack recognises the file and asks "Which file is this?". Choose It came back to me. (The other answers: The same workbook, renamed or moved; A separate copy, made with Save As.)
  3. Changes lists what changed since the version you sent. Since › When it came back is also offered.

If SheetTrack does not recognise it (for example the file was saved by Google Sheets), use "Compare with another file": open their copy and choose your own.

Compare two versions

  1. Select the History tab.
  2. Either:
    • on a version's row, select ⋯ › See what this version changed (compared with the version before it) or See changes since this version (compared with now); or
    • select Compare › Two versions…, choose From and To, then select Compare.

You will see: the differences in Changes, under the tag "Comparing: A → B". Key numbers, new issues, Copy summary and undo work as usual. To leave the comparison, select the tag's ✕ (Stop comparing). Comparing never changes the workbook.

Compare with another file

Works for any workbook, tracked or not, with no sign-in.

  1. Open Since › Choose a file… on Changes, or Compare › With another file… on History.
  2. Select Choose a file… and pick an .xlsx or .xlsm file.

You will see: what is different in the open workbook from that file, in Changes. Use the file's value puts the file's content back in a cell.

Compare with a OneDrive version

OneDrive keeps earlier versions of every workbook saved in it. The workbook must be saved in OneDrive or SharePoint.

  1. Open Since › Choose a OneDrive version… on Changes, or Compare › With a OneDrive version… on History.
  2. The first time, select Sign in to Microsoft. Microsoft may ask to "Read your files"; SheetTrack reads only this workbook's versions.
  3. Choose a version from the list (newest first, with who saved it).

You will see: what changed since that version, in Changes. Nothing is changed in the workbook or in OneDrive.

Go back to an earlier version

Before you start: the workbook is tracked.

  1. Select the History tab. (Or More › Go back to a version….)
  2. On the version's row, select ⋯ › Go back to this version….
  3. Read the question "Go back to "<name>"?": it lists the cells that change back and says where today's work is kept. Select Go back.

You will see: the message "Back to "<name>". Today's work is in "Before going back"." with Undo, and a new version "Went back to …" at the top of History. Today's work was saved first (as "Before going back", unless it was already saved as a version).

What comes back: cell values, formulas, number formats, the sheets and their order, and rows or columns inserted or deleted since. What stays as it is: other formatting (fills, fonts, borders), charts, tables, named ranges, array formulas, data tables and sheets that are not tracked. Sheets must not be protected. In Excel on the web, a version can have at most 200,000 cells.

If something could not be put back exactly, the message says which cells.

Undo going back

Rename a version

  1. In History, on the version's row, select ⋯ › Rename.
  2. Type the new name in the row and press Enter.

For a sent version, ⋯ › Sent details… opens Rename version, with Name, Sent to and Note; select Save.

Copy a summary of the changes

  1. On Changes (or while comparing), select Copy summary.
  2. The summary is copied at once, and the "Summary copied" sheet opens. It says what the summary covers.
  3. Optionally change it, then select Copy again:
    • Full or Short (one line per key number);
    • Include: Key numbers, New issues, Changed cells, and Show formulas (changed formulas as written instead of their values).
  4. Paste it into an email or a message. It pastes as a table where formatting is allowed.

Save as file saves the summary as an Excel file with every changed cell (up to 10,000), to attach to an email. Done closes the sheet.

If Excel blocks copying, the sheet is titled "Copy the summary" and the text is selected: press Ctrl+C (Cmd+C on a Mac).

Watch a key number

  1. In Excel, select the cells to watch, such as EBITDA or closing cash (up to 10 at a time; hold Ctrl for cells apart).
  2. Select More › Watch selection (also in the command palette, and in Key numbers on Changes once a number is watched or outputs are suggested). Or open a changed cell's row and select Watch.

You will see: "Watching <name>." Each key number shows its value now and how much it moved since the Since moment. The count under it ("3 changes") opens the changes that moved it, with each change's share of the move when SheetTrack can work it out.

To rename it, give it another cell, or stop watching it: select its pencil (Edit <name>). In the Key number popover, change Name, select Use selection after selecting another cell, or Stop watching; then Save.

Key numbers are kept with the history on this computer, never in the workbook. A key number follows its cell when rows are inserted or deleted.

Choose which sheets are tracked

  1. Select More › Choose sheets (or Choose sheets in the footer of History).
  2. Untick sheets that don't need versions, such as large data exports. The dialog shows how much data each sheet holds.
  3. Select Save.

Versions, Changes and comparisons then leave those sheets out and say so. New sheets are tracked automatically. Going back leaves untracked sheets exactly as they are. Check still checks every sheet.

Act on a new issue in Changes

After edits, Changes shows New issues when the edits may have broken something: a number typed over a formula, a formula that now shows an error, a check row (such as Difference or Variance) that is no longer zero, a new link to another workbook, a newly hidden sheet, a number typed into a formula, a formula unlike its neighbours, or a total that leaves out a new row.

Check the workbook for issues

  1. Select the Check tab.
  2. Select Check workbook (later Check again, or Ctrl+Enter on the tab).

You will see: a verdict such as "1 warning to review" and a sentence about whether the model is ready to send ("Fix before you send the model."), how many formulas were checked and when, and the issues grouped by type with a line saying why each matters.

Act on an issue in Check

  1. On Check, select the issue's row. It opens with more detail.
  2. Then:
    • Go to cell selects the cell in Excel.
    • Restore formula (for a formula replaced by a typed value) puts the formula back.
    • Dismiss hides the issue until the cell changes. You can say why (optional), then select Dismiss issue (or Dismiss all for a repeated pattern).

To dismiss a whole issue type at once, select Dismiss all under its rows (beside Show all): the question gives the count, and each issue is dismissed as its own Dismiss would, so each comes back on its own if it changes. Under the New chip it dismisses that type's new issues only.

To see dismissed issues, select Show them next to "N dismissed", then Show again on one to bring it back, Bring all back under a type to bring back the whole type, or Back to issues. Dismissing in Check and Keep typed value in Changes are the same decision.

If the message "This issue changed. Check again first." appears, select Check again.

Change how strict the check is

  1. On Check, open the Check profile dropdown (or Settings › General › Check profile).
  2. Choose Financial model, Strict audit, Advisory or Core checks (see section 4).
  3. Select Check again.

Export the check results

On Check, after a check, select Export report (the download arrow). SheetTrack saves the results as a JSON file (sheettrack-analysis.json).

Back up versions to OneDrive

  1. Select the cloud button in the header, then Back up to OneDrive (or Sign in and back up, or Back up now when a backup is behind). Or turn on Back up to OneDrive in Settings › Backup and storage.
  2. Sign in with Microsoft if asked. Microsoft may ask to let SheetTrack use its own app folder.

You will see: the cloud button's tooltip becomes Backed up after the next version. The backup is a private folder, "Apps › SheetTrack", in the user's own OneDrive. Open the backup folder in OneDrive in Settings opens it.

For a workbook in OneDrive or SharePoint, backup is usually on already. A workbook that belongs to another organization is backed up only after turning on Back up this workbook too. Later hides the offer.

To be sure the latest versions are backed up (before moving to another computer, say), point at the cloud button: Backed up means they are. Backup is on means the first backup runs with the next version; Backup is behind offers Back up now, or Sign in and back up when the newest versions wait for a sign-in (after Sign out, or with another account).

Restore versions on another computer or after clearing the cache

Versions are kept on one computer (or in one browser). To bring them back:

  1. Sign in with the same Microsoft account.
  2. Changes says "Versions were saved for this workbook, but … has none of them." Select Restore from OneDrive backup, then Bring them here. Or select Restore in Settings › Backup and storage.

This needs a backup. Without one, use Import from a file… with a file saved by Export.

Export and import history

Delete a workbook's history

  1. Open Settings › Backup and storage.
  2. Select Delete history…, then Delete history.

Every version of this workbook is deleted from this computer. The workbook itself is not changed. A OneDrive backup stays; delete it from its folder. This can't be undone.

Share history with your team

The workbook must be saved in OneDrive or SharePoint.

  1. Open Settings › Team › Share history… (or Share history… on the empty Team tab).
  2. Read the question and select Share history. Sign in if asked.
  3. Microsoft may ask to approve "Have full access to your files" (or an IT admin may need to approve SheetTrack for the organization).

You will see: "History shared with your team." The history moves to a .sheettrack folder beside the workbook, and versions on this computer are copied there (and kept here). The Team tab appears in the header.

Important: everyone who can open the workbook's folder can see every version, including cells later deleted. Sharing only the workbook file does not share its history.

A teammate who opens a workbook with shared history is asked "Use the team's shared history?": Use shared history, or Keep on this computer. Use the team's shared history (on Changes or in Settings › Team) switches back later.

Request a review

Needs shared history.

  1. Select the Team tab. If it isn't in the header, show it: More › Team tab, or Settings › Team › Show Team tab.
  2. On Reviews, select Request review.
  3. Enter a title and description, choose the Version to review and the Reviewers, then select Request review.

Reviewers see "A review is waiting for you." with Open Reviews.

Approve a review or request changes

  1. On Team › Reviews, select the review request.
  2. Optionally write a Review comment.
  3. Select Approve or Request changes.

Managers and Admins approve. Nobody can approve a version they saved or a review they asked for. Save review record saves the review as an Excel workbook (the version, each decision and every changed cell) to hand to auditors.

Comment on a version

In shared history: History, the version's ⋯ › Comments, type in Add a comment… and select Post.

Read the activity and audit trail

Change team roles

On Team › Reviews, under Roles, an Admin or Manager can change a person's role. Roles come from the workbook's Microsoft permissions: the owner is Admin, people who can edit are Contributors, people who can only view are Viewers. Managers and Admins approve reviews; Contributors save versions and request reviews; Viewers read and compare only.

Change auto versions

  1. Open Settings › General, or select Change next to "Auto versions every 15 min" in History.
  2. Turn Auto versions on or off, and pick Save every 5, 15 or 30 minutes.

Auto versions are saved when SheetTrack opens on a workbook that changed, then at that interval while it changes. Turned off, SheetTrack saves neither; versions are saved only when you save them. Older ones are thinned: all of today's are kept, then one an hour for 7 days, then one a day. Versions you save or mark as sent are always kept. Auto versions never move Since.

Turn model checks off or on

Settings › General › Model checks (a switch, on by default; its ⓘ, What Model checks shows, says what it covers). Off hides the Check tab, New issues in Changes and Check profile, for people who only need version history; changes, versions, Compare, Go back, backup and Team stay. The choice is kept in this browser for this user, never in the workbook. Turn it on again the same way.

Change the theme

Settings › General › Theme: Match Excel, Light or Dark. The command palette's Switch theme toggles light and dark.

Replay the tour or the tips

Use the command palette

Press Ctrl+K (Cmd+K on a Mac), or Help (?) › All commands. Type part of a command and press Enter. See section 9.

Copy this guide for an AI assistant

Help (?) › Copy guide for your AI (also in Settings › Help and the command palette). Paste it into an AI assistant, then ask how to do anything. Open the guide online opens sheettrack.com/guide.

See where the data is kept

Help (?) › Where is my data? lists: this computer (every version), your OneDrive (if backup is on), shared history (if shared), and SheetTrack's servers (never store your workbook or its versions).

Contact support

Help (?) › Contact support opens Settings › Help: Contact support writes an email to support@sheettrack.com; Copy diagnostics copies technical details to paste into it (no workbook content); Support page opens sheettrack.com/support.

4. Reference

Change tags in Changes

Under the list's head, a line such as "From these 2 changes: 9 values on the Valuation sheet moved by 1% or more" opens the values that moved.

Issue severities

Issue types in Check

IssueWhy it matters
Formula replaced by a typed valueIt won't update when its inputs change.
Formula unlike its neighboursIt differs from the formulas beside it.
Formula unlike other sheetsIt differs from the same cell on similar sheets.
Number typed in a formulaA typed number hides an assumption inside a formula.
Input nothing usesNo formula reads these. Check before deleting.
Circular referenceA formula depends on its own result.
Possible circular referenceSome IF branches lead back to the formula.
Broken referenceIt points to a cell, sheet or name that is gone.
Error in a cellThe cell shows an Excel error such as #DIV/0!.
Error typed in a formulaThe formula gives an error on purpose.
Division by zeroThe formula divides by a typed zero.
Errors hidden by IFERRORHiding every error can hide a real mistake.
Lookup that may match the wrong rowAn approximate match needs sorted data.
Formula reads an empty cellAn empty cell counts as zero.
Link to another workbookResults depend on a file that may move.
Recalculates on every editFunctions like OFFSET and NOW slow a model down.
Whole-column referenceReading whole columns slows the workbook.
Long or deeply nested formulaHard to read and hard to check.
Complex formula without a noteA note helps the next reader.
Inputs without namesOptional: named inputs read better in formulas.
Name without the usual prefixOptional: a naming convention your team may use.
Number stored as textFormulas skip it or count it as zero.
Text among numbersOne cell differs from the rest of its column.
Negative inputA negative number where the others are positive.
Repeated labelThe same name appears twice in one list.
Extra spaces in textStray spaces can break lookups.
Model check failingA check cell in your model shows a failure.
Unused nameA name in Name Manager that nothing uses.
Results may be out of dateRecalculate before you trust them.
Blocked spillA dynamic array can't show all its results.
Sheet layoutSheet names or order differ from the usual layout.

When the same issue repeats in many cells with one formula pattern, it shows once as "Same pattern in N cells", with Show each to list them.

Check profiles

5. Limits

6. Data and privacy

7. Troubleshooting

8. Label index

Every label the pane shows, by where it is, with the task above that uses it. Generated from the pane's own words by node scripts/build_guide.cjs; do not edit by hand.

Excel's Home tab

First run

Header › cloud button

Help menu (?)

More menu (⋯)

Changes tab

Changes › Since

Changes › Key numbers

Changes › New issues

Changes › the list

Changes › an open change

Changes › save row

Changes › Save version ▾

Changes › connection message

History tab

History › Compare ▾

History › a version's ⋯ menu

History › version badges

Check tab

Check › issues

Team tab

Team tab › Reviews

Team tab › Activity

Settings

Settings › General

Settings › Backup and storage

Settings › Team

Settings › Help

Tour

Command palette

Dialog: Choose sheets

Dialog: Comments

Dialog: Compare two versions

Dialog: Compare with a file

Dialog: Copy or same workbook?

Dialog: Delete history?

Dialog: Import history?

Dialog: Key number

Dialog: Mark as sent

Dialog: OneDrive versions

Dialog: Rename version

Dialog: Request review

Dialog: Review Request

Dialog: Share history with your team?

Dialog: Summary

Dialog: Use the team's shared history?

Dialog: Where is my data?

Dialog: Which file is this?

9. Commands and shortcuts

Command palette commands: Check workbook, Save version, Save before AI edits, Copy summary, Mark as sent, Compare with a OneDrive version, Compare with a file, Watch selection, Choose sheets, Take the tour, Show tips again, Copy guide for your AI, Go back to a version, Switch theme, Open settings, Refresh versions, Clear comparison.

10. Build stamp

Build: sheettrack.com, updated 2026-10-27.

Get an email when SheetTrack is on Microsoft AppSource.

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