Go to previous modified date

Question

I recently changed a column in the All Items view, which caused the Modified Date to update. Is there any way to get the previous modified date back? Like a second to last modified date?

Answer 1

Hi @Hamilton Nancy R,  

Welcome to the Microsoft Q&A forum. 

Thank you very much for reaching out regarding the Modified Date changing after you updated a column in the All Items view. I really appreciate you taking the time to contact me and share the details of what you observed. 

I’d like to explain why this happened and what options are available. 

In SharePoint, whenever I or any user updates the data or metadata of an item (for example, editing a column value directly in the All Items view or using Quick Edit), SharePoint automatically updates the Modified and Modified By fields. These fields are system-controlled, so any change to the item’s content or metadata will trigger an update. 

However, simply modifying the view settings (adding/removing columns, sorting, filtering, etc.) does not change the Modified Date. This means the timestamp changed only if the item’s metadata itself was updated in the process. 

1/ Can the previous Modified Date be restored? 

Unfortunately, the Modified field cannot be manually changed or restored to a previous value, because SharePoint doesn’t allow editing of system fields. 

That said, you can still view the previous timestamps: 

• By opening the item’s Version History, you can see all earlier versions along with their corresponding Modified Dates and the user who made each change. 
• View the version history of an item or file in a list or library - Microsoft Support 

This will let you look back at the previous Modified Date, although it cannot be applied back onto the current item. 

2/ Is there a second-to-last Modified Date field? 

If you need to track this in the future, you may consider using Power Automate. This approach allows you to create a automated flow that captures the current Modified value and stores it in a separate custom column before any new update occurs. This way, you can keep a record of both the current and previous modification timestamps going forward.  

In case you require more in-depth guidance or support for these steps, I’d recommend posting your query in the Microsoft Power Automate Community. This is a dedicated channel for Power Automate discussions. The reason I suggest posting a new topic there is that in the general Q&A Forum, resources and expertise on Power Automate are limited. In the Microsoft Power Platform Community Forum, you’ll find the most qualified group of respondents, and other partners who regularly read the forums can share their knowledge or learn from your interaction. 

I hope this information is helpful. Should you have any further questions or need additional assistance, feel free to reach out.    

Thank you again for your patience and cooperation.    

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Answer 2

In SharePoint, once a column change is made in the All Items view, the Modified Date is updated to reflect that change. Unfortunately, SharePoint does not maintain a history of previous modified dates for list items or columns directly accessible to users. The Modified Date reflects the most recent change, and there is no built-in feature to revert to a previous modified date or to view a second-to-last modified date.

If you need to track changes over time, consider implementing versioning for your lists or libraries. This feature allows you to keep a history of changes made to items, which can help you retrieve previous versions of an item along with their modified dates. However, this will not restore the modified date itself but will allow you to see the state of the item at previous points in time.

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References:

• Modified dates on the SharePoint site contents page are not accurate