Version History Issues

How to Fix SharePoint Minor Version Limit Not Being Applied

Tauseeq Magsi Oct 10, 2026 870 views

Question details

The user needs to understand and resolve why a SharePoint document library retains more minor versions than the configured limit.

How to Fix SharePoint Minor Version Limit Not Being Applied

Product: Microsoft SharePoint
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Managing version history and storage limits in a SharePoint document library.
Observed behavior: SharePoint minor version limits are not being applied, resulting in the document library retaining more minor drafts than expected.

Before you start

Verify that you have site collection administrator or owner permissions to access and modify the library settings and compliance policies in SharePoint.

Solution 1Recommended

Create Additional Major Versions to Trigger Cleanup

SharePoint manages minor versions in relation to major versions. Triggering new major versions can help apply the minor version limit to older drafts.

SharePoint lets you control the number of major versions but does not enforce an entirely independent number of minor versions. Minor versions are retained relative to the major versions they belong to.

Select a document

Navigate to your SharePoint document library and select a file that is retaining too many minor versions.

Publish new major versions

Check out the file, make a small edit, and check it back in as a new major version. Repeat this until you have created more than three major versions.

Review version history

Right-click the file and select 'Version history'. Check the older major versions to verify if the excess minor versions have been purged.

Create Additional Major Versions to Trigger Cleanup

Solution 2

Check and Adjust SharePoint Retention Policies

Retention policies and compliance settings can override versioning limits, preventing SharePoint from deleting minor versions.

Solution 3

Review Library Versioning Settings

Ensure the library versioning is configured correctly and check the draft approval settings.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why does a minor version remain a draft in SharePoint?

In SharePoint, a minor version remains a draft until it is formally approved or published. Once it undergoes the approval process, it is converted into a major version.

Do retention policies override version limits in SharePoint?

Yes, site-wide retention policies often take precedence over library versioning limits to comply with legal or organizational data retention requirements, preventing SharePoint from deleting old versions.

How can I set the exact number of minor versions to keep?

SharePoint allows you to control the number of major versions, but minor versions are retained relative to those major versions rather than having a completely independent numerical limit.

What happens to older minor versions when a new major version is published?

Depending on your library's versioning configuration, older minor versions associated with previous major versions are typically purged or consolidated to free up storage space when a new major version is created.

Document & File Issues