Version control on Word 2010

Question

I received a new computer in work and was wondering how do you do revision control on Word 2010. On my last computer I was able to edit the document and then go to File tab button, then go down to versions,  press save now button, then type the info in on what I did to the document. etc. this records the time & person who edited it. So when an external auditor comes in s/he will be able to see the info relating to the changes I made to the document.

How can I see the version history that i had on Word 2003 on the Word 2010? as I can not find it anywhere on word or is all this history information gone on Word 2010.

Can you explain the whole process of version control so I know that i am doing it right?

Thank :-)

Answer 1

Right, I missed that (it was late at night <grin> ) . It was a function I was warned against using.

MS has fundamentally changed what it calls 'versions'.  The 2003 version of versions <grin> is gone. 2010 has a new feature called versions but it does not allow you to do any labelling / commenting.

So to confirm, to get all of the functionality you are looking for you will have to go with a 3rd party tool. It is generally called "version control" software. It allows you to "check in" files, along with comments, and to "check out"  files either for read only or "locked" for editing. They are generally aimed at "text" file formats, where it is easy for them to append lines with version info and comments.

You can do something similar using "Custom Properties"

Turning On Property Information Prompting - word.tips.net/T001708_Turning_On_Property_Information_Prompting.html

Controlling Document Properties - http://word.tips.net/T000985\_Controlling\_Document\_Properties.html

Another thing you can do to provide crude version control is to append either file version numbers or date/timestamps to file names. I've got examples of macros that can do that if you want more info.

Answer 2

It is not an add-in, or at least not in the SP3 installation of Office 2003.  It is listed on the file menu between "Permissions" and "Web Page Preview."

Answer 3

The type of version control you are talking about is different than what both Graham and Guruprasad mentioned.

I checked my 2003 installation, I don't have the "version" command you mention. So it must be an add-in. Talk to your IT department to find out how it was added to 2003.  I would be interested to find out what tool was used for 2003 (I could use that sort of function) and if it has been updated for 2010.

Answer 4

Refer the following link for more information on managing document version in Word 2010:

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/word-help/recover-earlier-versions-of-a-file-in-office-2010-HA010356735.aspx

Answer 5

See http://office-watch.com/t/n.aspx?a=1480 which explains versions in Word 2010 from which you will see that it doesn't help your situation very well. You might be better adopting a different approach e.g. http://www.gmayor.com/SaveVersionsAdd-In.htmor your company should investigate some form of document management system if this type of information is important to the business.