SheetTrack Support

Updated: October 22, 2026

Help for the SheetTrack Excel add-in. Step-by-step instructions for every feature are in the SheetTrack guide. In the pane, Help (?) › Copy guide for your AI copies it to paste into Copilot, ChatGPT or Claude.

Contact

Email support@sheettrack.com. Please include:

• your Excel version and platform (Windows, Mac or Excel on the web);
• whether the workbook is saved on your computer, in OneDrive or in SharePoint;
• what you did, what you expected, the exact message you saw, and roughly when it happened.

In the pane, Help (?) › Contact support starts the email, and Copy diagnostics copies technical details to paste into it (no workbook content). Never send passwords, sign-in tokens or confidential workbook contents. If you can, reproduce the problem in a throwaway workbook with made-up data. We aim to reply within two business days.

Getting started

1. Install. Once SheetTrack is on Microsoft AppSource (coming soon): in Excel, open "Home" › "Add-ins" (or "Insert" › "Get Add-ins"), search for SheetTrack (listed as "Model Version History & Compare") and choose "Add".
2. Open it. On Excel's "Home" tab, choose SheetTrack. Beside it, What Changed opens the pane on Changes, and Save Version saves a version at once (on an untracked workbook, it starts tracking). Closing the pane only hides it: what it showed is still there until you close the workbook.
3. Start tracking. The first time, the pane shows "See what changed in your model". Choose Start tracking: the workbook as you opened it becomes the first version, and a short tour starts. Not now closes that screen. Help (?) › Take the tour replays the tour.
4. See what changed. The Changes tab lists every changed cell, named by its row and column labels ("Revenue growth · FY27") with old → new. Since, at the top, picks the moment it counts from. Select a row to open it.
5. Save versions. Type a name in Name this version if you like, then choose Save version. SheetTrack also saves auto versions by itself.
6. Check for issues. On the Check tab, choose Check workbook.

Changes. From the moment SheetTrack opens on a workbook, Changes lists every edit, by anyone or anything (you, a colleague, a macro or another add-in). Before you start tracking, the list lasts until you close the workbook. It compares cell values, formulas, sheets and named ranges, not formatting, charts, pivot tables or comments. Above 250,000 cells of data (empty cells far from the data don't count), it is not listed while you edit. Cells that only moved with inserted, deleted or sorted rows or columns are not listed one by one: a note on the sheet says what happened, and Show every cell lists every cell that differs. A reference the move broke (#REF!) is always listed. A renamed sheet, or a new sheet order, is one line ("Inputs → Assumptions").

Since. Choose what Changes counts from: Last version, Latest auto version, When I opened it, the start of this month or last month, Before AI edits, Last sent, When it came back, any version (All versions…), a OneDrive version (Choose a OneDrive version…) or a file (Choose a file…). Only the moments that exist are offered. Auto versions never move it: Last version is never an auto version.

Before an AI edits the model. Choose ▾ next to Save version, then Save before AI edits. Changes then lists every change made since, and each can be undone on its own.

Compare. On History, choose Compare › Two versions…, or a version's ⋯ menu › See what this version changed or See changes since this version. The result shows in Changes under a "Comparing: A → B" tag; its ✕ (Stop comparing) leaves it.

Compare with a file. Choose Since › Choose a file… (or Compare › With another file… on History), and pick an .xlsx or .xlsm file, such as the copy you sent a client. Changes lists what differs, and Use the file's value puts the file's content back in a cell. It works for any workbook, with no sign-in. The file is read inside Excel on your computer, not uploaded; SheetTrack keeps only the last file chosen, in memory, until you close the workbook. .xls, .xlsb and password-protected files can't be read (save a copy as .xlsx first). In Excel on the web, the file must be on your computer (download a OneDrive workbook first).

Compare with a OneDrive version. OneDrive keeps earlier versions of every workbook saved in it. Choose Since › Choose a OneDrive version… (or Compare › With a OneDrive version… on History) and pick one. The first time, choose Sign in to Microsoft; Microsoft may ask to let SheetTrack "Read your files". The version is read on your computer: nothing changes in the workbook or in OneDrive, and nothing is sent to SheetTrack. Excel on the web keeps one OneDrive version per editing session. For a workbook on a SharePoint site or in someone else's OneDrive, the list appears only if SheetTrack already has Files.ReadWrite.All (for example once your IT admin has approved it, or after you shared that workbook's history); SheetTrack never asks for it just for this. Otherwise choose Compare with a file… with a version downloaded from OneDrive's "Version history".

Key numbers. Select cells such as EBITDA or closing cash (up to 10) and choose Watch selection under Key numbers on Changes, or open a changed row and choose Watch. Each shows its value now and its move since the Since moment. The count under it ("3 changes") lists the changes that moved it, with each one's share when SheetTrack's recalculation matches Excel's (not with INDIRECT, OFFSET, TODAY, add-in functions or circular references; SheetTrack says why). Its pencil (Edit) renames it, gives it another cell (Use selection) or stops watching it. It follows its cell when rows are inserted or deleted or its sheet is renamed. Key numbers are kept with the history on your computer (and its backup), never in the workbook; with shared history they are each person's own.

New issues. Above the list, Changes says what recent edits may have broken: a number typed over a formula, a formula that now shows an error, a check row (Difference, Variance and the like) 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, a total that leaves out a new row, or a changed number nothing reads. Restore formula puts a typed-over formula back; Keep typed value (or Keep as it is) marks an issue as intended. Otherwise it says No new issues; the ⓘ (What is checked) says what was looked at and what couldn't be checked. This runs on your computer; nothing is sent.

Copy a summary. Copy summary copies what Changes lists, ready to paste into an email: since when, your key numbers old → new, the new issues and up to 20 changed cells. The "Summary copied" sheet offers Full or Short, what to Include, and Save as file (an Excel file with every changed cell, up to 10,000). If Excel blocks copying, press Ctrl+C (Cmd+C on a Mac) on the selected text. When you send the workbook, choose ▾ next to Save version › Mark as sent…; Since › Last sent later lists what changed after it.

Check workbook. On the Check tab, Check workbook runs inside Excel on your computer: nothing is sent or changed. It shows a verdict, how many formulas were checked, "Not checked: …" (what it did not look at) and the issues grouped by type; the chips Errors, Warnings, Notes, New (since your last check on this computer) and All filter them. "Some checks unavailable" means some checks could not run: that is not a clean result. Select an issue for Go to cell, Restore formula or Dismiss (a reason is optional; an issue repeated along a row or column can be dismissed once for all of them). A dismissed issue comes back if its formula changes; where SheetTrack can read the cell's row and column labels, it stays dismissed when rows or columns are inserted or deleted. Show next to "N dismissed" lists them, with Show again. Dismissed issues are kept with the history on your computer (with shared history, yours only; before tracking, in this browser). The Check profile dropdown sets how strict the check is.

SheetTrack never edits your workbook unless you ask. Check, Changes and comparisons only read it. Only Go back (after you confirm), Undo change and Restore formula (when you choose them) and restoring a OneDrive version change what is in it; tracking adds the small record described under "Uninstall and delete your data".

What you need: Excel on Windows or the web (Excel API 1.9 or later), an internet connection, and a current browser for Excel on the web (Edge, Chrome or Firefox). Excel for Mac and Safari are being tested before launch. SheetTrack is not available for Excel on iPad.

Sign-in and permissions

Check, Changes, comparing with a file, and history kept on your computer work without signing in, for any workbook, including one in OneDrive or SharePoint. Sign in with Microsoft to back up versions to your OneDrive, to compare with OneDrive versions, and to share a workbook's history with your team. Work, school and personal Microsoft accounts all work. SheetTrack has no separate account or password.

SheetTrack asks for Microsoft permissions only when a feature needs them:

SheetTrack's servers do not store your sign-in tokens. See the Privacy Policy.

Signing in and out. In Excel on Windows, SheetTrack usually signs in by itself with the account Office uses for the workbook. Otherwise choose Sign in where the pane offers it, or in Settings › Backup and storage. In Excel on the web, Sign in opens a small SheetTrack window: choose Continue to Microsoft there and finish in Microsoft's window. Both windows close by themselves. To sign out, choose Sign out in Settings › Backup and storage; SheetTrack then does not sign you in again silently until you choose Sign in.

Which account SheetTrack uses. For a workbook in OneDrive or SharePoint, SheetTrack acts as the account Excel used to open it. Desktop Excel opens all files of one company with one account, so if you have two accounts from the same company in Excel, only that one is used for its files.

For administrators: approve SheetTrack for your organization

Many organizations let people approve sign-in, OneDrive backup and access to their own files themselves, but require an administrator to approve Files.ReadWrite.All, which the shared history of a SharePoint workbook, or of a workbook in someone else's OneDrive, needs. In those organizations the owner of a workbook in their own OneDrive can share its history without an administrator, while teammates who open it need the administrator's approval to see that history. History kept on the computer needs no approval, for workbooks in OneDrive and SharePoint too.

When a shared history can't be opened for that reason, the pane says "Your IT admin's approval is needed" and gives the address of the page for IT administrators, with Copy note for IT (a short note with that address to send your IT admin; What to send IT shows it). Meanwhile Keep history on this computer works without approval: it asks first, the team's shared history stays as it is, and the versions you save of that workbook are kept on your computer. Use the team's shared history (on Changes or in Settings › Team) goes back to it once your IT admin approves SheetTrack. The IT page says what SheetTrack needs, where workbook data goes, and how to approve, deploy or limit it.

An administrator (Global Administrator, Privileged Role Administrator, Cloud Application Administrator or Application Administrator) can approve SheetTrack once for everyone:

• open the admin approval link, sign in and choose "Accept"; Microsoft then opens a SheetTrack page that says whether it worked; or
• in the Microsoft Entra admin center, open "Enterprise apps" › "SheetTrack" › "Permissions" and choose "Grant admin consent" (Microsoft's instructions).

Both grant the five permissions in the table above and Microsoft's sign-in permissions (sign you in, read your basic profile, keep you signed in), and nothing else. An administrator can review or remove the approval at any time under "Enterprise apps" › "SheetTrack".

Where your history is stored

Help (?) › Where is my data? sums this up in the pane, and the footer of History says where a workbook's versions are kept.

• On this computer (the default, for any workbook). In the add-in's private storage on this device (in the browser, for Excel on the web), also for a workbook in OneDrive or SharePoint, so tracking needs no sign-in and no approval. Excel on Windows keeps it apart for each account Excel is signed in with, so versions saved under one account don't show under another (backup lets you bring them over). It survives restarting Excel and renaming or moving the file, but is lost if the add-in's storage is cleared (see "Uninstall and delete your data") unless it is backed up.
• Backup (optional). A private copy in your own OneDrive, under "Apps › SheetTrack". For a workbook in OneDrive or SharePoint it is on by default: it starts by itself when SheetTrack can sign in with the account Excel uses; otherwise Changes shows "Not backed up." with Sign in and back up. For a workbook saved on your computer, Changes offers Back up after the third version (at once in Excel on the web); Later hides the offer for 7 days. The cloud button in the header shows the state (Backed up, Backup is on, Backup is behind, Not backed up); an orange dot means the versions are only on this computer. A workbook that belongs to another organization (a client's SharePoint, say) is backed up only after you turn on Back up this workbook too in Settings › Backup and storage. Turning off Back up to OneDrive there turns backup off for every workbook. On another computer, in Excel on the web, or after the add-in's storage was cleared, sign in with the same account and choose Restore from OneDrive backup, then Bring them here (or Restore in Settings › Backup and storage); the pane also says when the backup holds versions from another computer that are not here.
• Shared history (optional). For a workbook in OneDrive or SharePoint, Share history… (in Settings › Team, or on the empty Team tab) keeps its history in a .sheettrack folder next to the workbook, in your own Microsoft 365 storage, and copies the versions on your computer there (they are kept here too). SheetTrack keeps no copy. Everyone who opens the workbook then sees the shared history. Each version is a compressed snapshot of cell values and formulas, so anyone who can open that folder can read all versions, including cells you later deleted. The folder has the sharing of its parent folder; sharing only the workbook file does not share its history. Reviews and the Team tab need shared history. If your organization requires an administrator to approve SheetTrack, see "For administrators" above.

Auto versions. From the moment SheetTrack first opens on a workbook, even with its pane closed, it saves a version when it opens (if the workbook changed since its last version) and every 15 minutes while something changes. Settings › General (or Change next to "Auto versions every 15 min" in History) turns them off or picks 5, 15 or 30 minutes. They have the Auto badge. Older auto versions 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. Above 250,000 cells of data, auto versions pause so Excel stays responsive, and the pane says so. Shared history works the same way: one person's auto version covers the others' for that interval; versions anyone saves, or that a review or comment is about, are never thinned; thinning days are counted in UTC, and thinned snapshot files go to the OneDrive or SharePoint recycle bin. Someone who can only view a shared history saves no auto versions.

Choose sheets. To leave a large data export or lookup sheet out of tracking, choose More (⋯) › Choose sheets (or Choose sheets in the footer of History), untick it and choose Save; the dialog shows how much data each sheet holds. Versions, Changes and comparisons then leave it out and say so, the size limits count only tracked sheets, and Go back leaves it exactly as it is. New sheets are tracked. The choice is kept on your computer; a new computer takes the one the latest version records. Check still checks every sheet.

Renamed, moved or copied workbooks. For history on your computer, when a tracked workbook appears under a new name or place (also when you first save a local workbook to OneDrive or SharePoint), SheetTrack asks once "Which file is this?": The same workbook (renamed or moved; its history carries on), A separate copy (made with Save As; it gets its own history) or It came back to me. For shared history, a Save As copy in the same folder starts a new history; a workbook moved to another folder in the same OneDrive or SharePoint library keeps its whole history (versions, reviews, comments and the audit trail), which moves the next time someone who can edit it opens it in Excel; moved to a different library, its earlier history stays in the old library and a new one starts. Do not rename, move or edit files inside .sheettrack.

When a copy comes back to you. If you send a tracked workbook (history on this computer) and it is sent back, save their file, open it in Excel and open SheetTrack, then choose It came back to me. The copy gets its own history starting from the version you sent, and Changes lists what changed since then (Since › When it came back is offered too). SheetTrack finds the version you sent by comparing the copy with your recent versions, so work you did on the original after sending it is not counted as theirs. This needs the original's history on this computer and a file edited in Excel; a file saved by another program, such as Google Sheets, comes back without SheetTrack's record: use Choose a file… instead.

Team roles

SheetTrack takes roles from the workbook's Microsoft permissions: the owner of a OneDrive file is Admin, people who can edit are Contributors, and people who can only view are Viewers. An Admin or Manager can make Contributors Managers (only an Admin can make or change an Admin). Managers and Admins approve reviews; Contributors save versions and request reviews; Viewers can read history and compare versions, but cannot save or comment. Nobody can approve a version they saved or a review they asked for.

On SharePoint team sites, members get access through the site's groups, so SheetTrack makes the person who starts a workbook's history its Admin. Teammates appear under Roles on Team › Reviews, and can be given a role or chosen as a reviewer, once they have saved a version or commented.

To show the Team tab, choose More (⋯) › Team tab, or Settings › Team › Show Team tab. Request review asks for a review; reviewers choose Approve or Request changes, and Save review record saves the review as an Excel workbook for auditors. The full steps are in the SheetTrack guide.

Export and import history

Export in Settings › Backup and storage (or More › Export history) saves one .sheettrack-history file. Import… there adds the versions in such a file to this workbook's history. For shared history, Export CSV and Export JSON on Team › Activity save the audit trail.

Go back to a version

On History, open the version's ⋯ menu and choose Go back to this version… (or More › Go back to a version…). The question lists the cells that change back; choose Go back. SheetTrack first keeps today's work as a version, "Before going back" (unless it is already saved as one), then applies the chosen version. To undo it, choose Undo in the message within about 20 seconds, or later go back to "Before going back" the same way.

It restores cell values and formulas, the number formats of numbers, and the sheets and their order. Rows and columns inserted since that version are deleted, and those deleted since are inserted again, so each row keeps its own formatting (a row inserted again takes the formatting of the row above it). Rows that may have been sorted, and rows beside an array formula or data table, stay where they are, and the question says so. A sheet renamed since gets its earlier name back, also when sheets swapped names. It does not restore other formatting (fills, fonts, borders), charts, tables, named ranges or other workbook objects, and leaves array formulas, data tables and sheets you don't track as they are. If a version's formulas refer to a sheet that is not tracked and is no longer in the workbook, it stops before changing anything and says so; rename the sheet back first. It needs sheets that are not protected and, in Excel on the web, a version of at most 200,000 cells. If something could not be put back exactly, the message says which cells.

For shared history, an Admin or Manager can also restore one of OneDrive's own versions under OneDrive versions on History: that replaces the whole file, OneDrive keeps the current file as another version, and you reopen the workbook afterwards.

Undo one change

On Changes, open the change's row and choose Undo change (for a number typed over a formula, Restore formula). When the cells beside it changed the same way (a pasted range, a filled column), Undo all undoes the whole block. SheetTrack first saves an auto version of the workbook as it is, so Since stays where it is. The message that follows offers Redo for about 20 seconds, and in Excel on Windows and on the web, Excel's own Undo (Ctrl+Z) reverses it too. While 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, in rows that may have been sorted, or on a sheet where rows or columns moved while Show every cell is on, because the earlier content could land in the wrong place: go back to the version instead. Nothing is changed when the cell was edited again since the list was read, or when it shows a result spilled from a formula elsewhere (undo that formula's change instead). It is not offered for an earlier error value, an array formula or a data table, and asks you to unprotect a protected sheet first. Before you start tracking, no version is saved first: Redo is the way back. Undo writes up to 10,000 cells at a time.

Troubleshooting

"Connecting to workbook" or "Identifying this workbook…" does not go away, or "Workbook connection needs attention" appears. The service may be waking up, which normally takes a few seconds. If it persists, choose Retry (or Reconnect) and check your internet connection. If your network filters web traffic, allow app.sheettrack.com, sheettrack-api-672830646726.us-east1.run.app, appsforoffice.microsoft.com, login.microsoftonline.com, login.live.com and graph.microsoft.com, and for OneDrive and SharePoint files *.sharepoint.com, *.svc.ms, api.onedrive.com, *.1drv.com and *.microsoftpersonalcontent.com (the same list as the page for IT administrators).

"Your IT admin's approval is needed" (Microsoft's window says "Need admin approval"), or your organization blocks sign-in. See "For administrators" above.

The sign-in window does not open (pop-up blocked). SheetTrack opens a sign-in window only after you choose Sign in (in Excel on the web, then Continue to Microsoft). If nothing appears, allow pop-ups for the page (in Excel on the web, use the icon in the browser's address bar) and choose Sign in again. If you close Microsoft's window before finishing, choose Cancel in the small SheetTrack window, or close it.

"You have view-only access to this workbook." You can read and compare its shared history but not save versions. Ask the workbook's owner for edit access.

"This shared history was changed outside SheetTrack." The records in the .sheettrack folder (versions, reviews, roles or the event log) changed outside SheetTrack, or their signatures no longer match. Team › Activity has the details. SheetTrack does not repair or hide this, and saving is paused until an Admin chooses Acknowledge and continue. If the change was a mistake, restore an earlier version of index.json from OneDrive's version history, or restore the folder from the recycle bin. If you did not expect it, ask who has access to the folder. This warning is a tamper-evident check, not proof of who changed what.

"This workbook's SheetTrack history is damaged." The shared history's index could not be read. Restore the .sheettrack folder from OneDrive's recycle bin or version history, then reopen the pane.

"Someone saved a change at the same moment. Try again." Two people saved at once. Save again.

SheetTrack asks "Which file is this?" or "Copy or same workbook?". The file was saved under a new name or place. See "Renamed, moved or copied workbooks" above.

History is empty on another computer, in another browser, or after clearing the cache. Versions are kept on one computer. Use Restore from OneDrive backup and Bring them here, or Import… with a file saved by Export. Without a backup or an export they can't be recovered.

SheetTrack cannot match the workbook to a OneDrive or SharePoint file. Save the workbook, reopen it from OneDrive or SharePoint, then retry. SheetTrack recognizes sharepoint.com, onedrive.live.com, d.docs.live.net and 1drv.ms addresses. It has not been tested with the Microsoft 365 US Government (GCC High, DoD) or China (21Vianet) clouds.

A cell-limit message on Check. One check handles up to 100,000 filled cells. Check a copy with less data; Changes and versions still work for the workbook.

"This workbook's data covers … cells, counting empty cells inside its blocks of data, and SheetTrack reads up to 500,000." The message names the largest sheets. Choose Choose sheets to track in it and leave out a large sheet, such as a data export (see "Choose sheets" above).

"Check workbook couldn't start." Choose Retry. Its program loads the first time you check a workbook, so connect to the internet if the message says this computer is offline; if it keeps failing, close and reopen the workbook.

Check is slow or stops. Check runs on your computer, and its time grows with the number of formulas. The pane shows "Checking the workbook…" while it runs; a check that takes more than 2 minutes is stopped, and the pane says so with Retry.

Uninstall and delete your data

SheetTrack has no account database, so deleting your data means deleting the places it lives.

1. One workbook's versions on this computer. In Settings › Backup and storage, choose Delete history…, then Delete history. The workbook itself is not changed, and a backup stays until you delete it (step 4). This can't be undone.
2. Remove the add-in. In Excel, open the add-ins list ("Home" › "Add-ins" or "Insert" › "My Add-ins"), choose SheetTrack, and remove it. Menu names vary by Excel version.
3. Shared history. Delete the .sheettrack folder next to each workbook. Microsoft's recycle bin retention applies.
4. Backup. Delete SheetTrack's app folder in your OneDrive ("Apps › SheetTrack"). Open the backup folder in OneDrive in Settings › Backup and storage opens it.
5. All history on this device. Sign out first, then clear the add-in's storage. This permanently deletes history that was not backed up.
   • Windows: close Excel, then delete the contents of %LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Wef\. This clears the cache of all Office add-ins (Microsoft's instructions).
   • Mac: follow Microsoft's instructions at the same link.
   • Excel on the web: clear site data for app.sheettrack.com in your browser's settings.
6. Revoke permissions. Work or school account: open My Apps, choose the three dots next to SheetTrack, then "Manage your application" › "Revoke Permissions". Personal account: open account.live.com/consent/Manage and choose "Remove these permissions". Permissions your administrator granted for the organization can only be revoked by an administrator.
7. Tracked workbooks keep a small SheetTrack record in their document settings: a random history ID, when tracking started, one-way fingerprints of where the file has been saved, and whether its history is shared with its team. It holds no file or folder names, paths, web addresses or account names; a OneDrive or SharePoint workbook's folder is kept encrypted, with a key made from that file's own OneDrive identifiers. The fingerprints can't be turned back into a place, though someone who already knows or guesses a place could check it against them. Workbooks you never tracked get no record.

Email support@sheettrack.com for anything not covered here.

Known limitations

• Excel on Windows and the web; Excel for Mac once it has been tested; not iPad.
• Team features (reviews, roles, the audit trail) work only for workbooks in OneDrive or SharePoint whose history is shared with the team, and only for people with access to the workbook's folder.
• SheetTrack's roles and the audit trail are workflow aids. They are tamper-evident, not tamper-proof.
• One check handles up to 100,000 filled cells. Checks point to things worth a look; they don't prove a model is right.
• Check workbook can miss three or more numbers typed side by side over a row of formulas; Changes lists them under New issues.
• Formatting, charts, pivot tables and comments are not compared.
• Going back does not restore every workbook object (see "Go back to a version").
• Undo change brings back values and formulas, not formatting, and is not offered for cells that moved with inserted or deleted rows or columns, or in rows that may have been sorted (see "Undo one change").
• History kept on one computer does not follow you to another without backup or shared history.
• Cloud features need an internet connection.