# Tracking Changes

## Opening a live file

To start tracking changes, open an enrolled spreadsheet. You can do this from:

* **My Files** — click the **Open live file** icon next to any file
* **File Versions** — click the **Open live file** button at the top right
* **OneDrive, SharePoint, or Google Drive** — open the file directly from your file system

![Open live file options from My Files and File Versions pages](/files/UYoGvxQhI8b6i0s4X6sj)

For Excel files, the Rockhopper add-in appears on the right side of the screen. Sign in with your Microsoft account to connect. For Google Sheets, the Rockhopper sidebar activates automatically.

![Excel with the Rockhopper add-in sign-in panel](/files/36Y1BPQ0buCGMBd51JcG)

![Allow popup dialog and Microsoft account picker](/files/1hT0FC6Rzjkx9zg2Pxy9)

## How change tracking works

Once connected, Rockhopper tracks every edit you make. Tracking works even if the Rockhopper side panel is closed.

![Rockhopper add-in showing "Tracking changes" status](/files/9AHEy81ITZ0zOttH1hYH)

Rockhopper captures two levels of changes:

**Cell-level changes** — any edit to a cell's value, including formulas, formatting, and cleared cells. Each change records the old value, new value, cell address, and who made the edit.

**Worksheet-level events** — structural changes to the workbook itself:

* **Sheet added** — a new worksheet was created
* **Sheet deleted** — an existing worksheet was removed
* **Sheet renamed** — a worksheet's name was changed

All changes are tracked per-user, so Rockhopper always knows who made each edit.

### Excel vs. Google Sheets

Rockhopper works with both platforms. The core experience — change tracking, versions, comments, and reviews — is the same. A few differences:

|                    | Excel (OneDrive / SharePoint)                  | Google Sheets (Google Drive)                  |
| ------------------ | ---------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------- |
| **Connection**     | Rockhopper add-in panel appears in the sidebar | Rockhopper sidebar activates automatically    |
| **File browser**   | Shows OneDrive and SharePoint files            | Shows Google Drive files                      |
| **Authentication** | Microsoft account (Azure AD)                   | Google account                                |
| **Deep link**      | Opens from My Files or File Versions           | Also works from the Google Sheets add-on menu |

## Uncommitted changes

When changes are made to an enrolled file, Rockhopper flags it as having **uncommitted changes** — edits that exist in the live file but haven't been saved as a formal version yet.

You can review uncommitted changes before deciding to commit a new version or discard them:

* From **My Files** — click **View changes** on any file with a change indicator. A red dot means you haven't seen the latest changes yet.
* From **File Versions** — click the **View changes** button in the status bar.

![View changes button on My Files page](/files/oTrptLKYHnrMs6h9eYC5)

![View changes button on the File Versions page](/files/rn44g6tDAiaM5p7gBWlC)

## The difference analysis view

This is where you review what changed. The screen is split into two areas:

**Left side — the spreadsheet.** Changed cells are highlighted with a blue border. Use the sheet selector at the bottom to switch between worksheets.

**Right side — the context panel.** Three tabs give you different views:

| Tab            | What it shows                                                                                        |
| -------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Change Log** | A structured list of every change — sheet-level events and cell-level edits — organized by worksheet |
| **Comments**   | The file's comment thread                                                                            |
| **Reviews**    | Review requests and their approval status                                                            |

Unread changes are flagged with a red dot, both on individual items and on sheet tabs that contain unseen edits.

![Difference analysis view with change log and highlighted cells](/files/mxAoWOyNRBrNAX3lOabV)

{% hint style="info" %}
Changes may take a moment to appear if the file is still syncing with Microsoft or Google. Rockhopper updates the change log automatically once processing is complete.
{% endhint %}

## Navigating to a change

Click any item in the Change Log to jump directly to the affected cell in the spreadsheet view.

![Changed cell highlighted in the spreadsheet with the corresponding change log entry](/files/qgxeOrTLp0Lbv5s3h7oH)

## Cell edit history

Want to see the full history of a specific cell? Right-click on any changed cell and select **View edit history**. You'll see a complete record of every edit to that cell — who made each change and on which version.

![Cell edit history context menu](/files/PuJnOYc3dxwOGTte6ica)

![Cell edit history panel showing the full change record](/files/Ze7t9a4EktUv0wy7szTa)


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