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Moving a file between sharepoint sites results in older versions on target

Vince Fletcher 1 Reputation point
2020-07-24T22:59:49.89+00:00

I recently ran into a situation where I was moving an excel file (1.5MB) that had about 800 versions. I used the SharePoint Online Move To command to move it to another site collection's document library. What I noticed is that when the file showed up at the target site collection it was as the original first version of the file and over time, more recent versions of the file became available (I was simply watching the version history to see the file version increment). More concerning was that when I opened the target version, the content was the old content (in this case I was missing all of the 2020 updates to the sheet since the last version moved was dated 12/26/2019). I've escalated this to MS but not sure if others have also seen this or not.

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  1. Trevor Seward 11,691 Reputation points
    2020-07-25T00:25:54.56+00:00

    The Move command is expected to retain the versions. The Copy command will create a new file at the destination with no versions.

    I can't answer why you didn't get all versions, though.

  2. Emily Du-MSFT 43,006 Reputation points Microsoft Vendor
    2020-07-27T09:34:24.093+00:00

    Whether all versions of your file been restored until now?

    I think due to your file has more than 800 versions, so when your file is moved, the version will be restored slowly.

    You could open a service request with Microsoft for further help.

  3. AL Sumner 1 Reputation point
    2020-09-08T18:44:09.35+00:00

    I am finding that this happens when I move the file to a location with a deeper file structure (i.e., buried under more folders). I suspect I'm running into the URL character limitation, which must include some additional characters for the version history/metadata. Try moving the file first to a primary folder and see if that helps. Good luck! (My staff don't listen when I ask them to minimize characters and especially spaces!)

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