sharepoint file version manage tips

[ericjo]

I'm creating a Power BI report using an Excel file in SharePoint as the source.

One time, the file wasn't uploading to SharePoint, so I checked and found a storage issue.

Some time I edited the Excel file, a version was created, taking up space.

I don't actually need versioning, but is there a way to disable this feature?

The minimum range for versioning days and number of versions seems higher than I expected, making it difficult to use in practice.

[v-dineshya]

Hi @ericjo ,

Thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft Community Forum.

Hi @123abc , @alish_b  and @rohit1991 , Thank you for your prompt responses.

Hi @ericjo ,  could you please try the proposed solutions shared by  @123abc , @alish_b  and @rohit1991 ? Let us know if you’re still facing the same issue we’ll be happy to assist you further.

Regards,

Dinesh

[123abc]

SharePoint automatically creates file versions every time you update or replace a file, and this can quickly consume storage—especially when using Excel files as data sources for Power BI. Since you're frequently updating the Excel file, SharePoint is generating multiple versions even when you don't need them. This is completely normal behavior but can feel unnecessary when version history isn't required.

Unfortunately, SharePoint does not allow you to fully disable versioning for document libraries. Every document library must retain at least one version, and Microsoft enforces minimum limits for the number of major versions allowed. However, you can lower the version count to the minimum (usually 100 for major versions, depending on your tenant) or regularly delete older versions manually. Another method is to use a dedicated library for your Power BI source files so version cleanup becomes easier to manage.

If you need help managing storage or adjusting version settings, you can check discussions from other users facing similar issues on the Microsoft Tech Community. Here is a relevant link:

https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/sharepoint/ct-p/SharePoint

[alish_b]

Hey @ericjo ,

Go to your sharepoint site to the Documents folder, then in the top right go to the gear icon and then Library Settings.

From there go to More library settings.

Then under the General settings, find the Versioning settings. 

Then you could try a combination with Create major versions as checked and Keep the following number of major versions to 1. You could even change the time limit if you wish. 
I believe after this you will have to manually clear the older versions of the required excel files. 

Now remeber turning off the versioning will take away the power to go back to previous versions of the file in case you accidentally make overwrites. You could reduce the version history number to a smaller number to manage space if you would like to give the feature of rolling back to some extent or even set the time limit for that matter so older versions get cleared automatically clearing up space periodically.

Hope it helps!

[rohit1991 · Accepted solution]

Hii @ericjo 

SharePoint automatically keeps file versions and this cannot be fully turned off. You can only reduce how many versions it stores. Go to Library Settings >> Versioning Settings and set the “Keep the following number of versions” to the lowest allowed value. This will stop unnecessary storage growth while still meeting SharePoint’s minimum versioning requirements.