Manage versions and Restore Canvas App version

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In this blog, I am going to walk you on how to manage version in Canvas app. Also I am going to discuss on how we can restore a canvas app to it’s previous version, if required.

Before I go ahead and explain things in depth, I will explain versioning in Canvas app. Whenever a canvas app is created using PowerApps Studio, a version of the app is automatically created. Below is a screenshot from my PowerApps studio, once I create an app for the first time.

As in the above screenshot, there is an option to “Sell all versions”. If I click on this button, it takes me to the screen below.

What’s important here is the Version number (currently showing “Version 1”) and Published Column showing “Live”.

Now let’s dig a little deep. I make further changes to the canvas app in PowerApps studio. And each time I save, it creates a new version of the app. This is quite interesting. Check for the screenshot below.

As you see in the above screenshot, it created a new version – Version 2. However, that version is not live yet. In this way I can go ahead and save as many time I wish.

Now that’s clear. But how do a new created version of the app go Live? To do that, I select the version and click on Publish. And that version goes live.

So that’s cool. But we have one more problem to solve. And what is that? How to restore a previous version?

Before I go ahead and explain how to do it, let’s understand the scenario when you need to restore an app to it’s previous version.

Suppose I have added quite a few new features in my app and then publish it. However user’s are facing issue once the version has been rolled out. In order to make sure that users are not stuck, I decide to roll back the app to the previous version. In the below screenshot, Version 2 is Live.

If I want to rollback to Version 1, all I need is to select Version 1 and then click on Restore.

And that’s it. I am back to the previous version.

Hope this helps!