When two people edit the same project file while a Mac or another device is offline, a sync service may present competing versions instead of combining the changes. First preserve every offered version, then compare and merge the useful edits in the app that owns the file. The exact controls depend on whether it is an iCloud Drive file, a Pages collaboration, or a file managed by another service.

Start by preserving every version

Pause edits briefly and tell collaborators which copy you are reviewing. If a conflict dialog appears for an iCloud Drive document, preview each version by double-clicking its icon. Select every version you may need before clicking Keep: Apple says unselected versions are deleted from iCloud Drive on devices using that account. If you keep multiple versions, iCloud gives the additional copy a numbered name. Apple’s iCloud Drive conflict instructions

Keep the versions as separate files while comparing them. Give copies clear names such as Campaign-brief-Alex and Campaign-brief-Sam, or include a date if that helps identify the work. Avoid editing one version under the assumption that it is the only surviving copy. A conflict prompt is a choice about which copies to retain; it does not merge paragraphs, spreadsheet cells, design layers, or other project content for you.

Merge the changes in the file’s app

Open the retained copies in the app that created them and compare the areas each collaborator changed. For text, move missing passages into the agreed version and review surrounding wording. For spreadsheets, inspect affected sheets, formulas, and values. For design or media projects, compare layers, assets, and linked files as well as the visible output. These are manual review steps: the iCloud conflict dialog does not know which edits are intentional or how a project’s parts fit together.

If the file format or app supports a reliable comparison or merge function, use it and review its result before replacing anything. If it does not, work through the changed sections with both copies open. Save the result as a new working file until the collaborators confirm that it includes the needed edits. This gives you a recoverable checkpoint if an edit is missed.

Pages has a more specific path for its shared documents. Collaborators can see edits in real time, and Pages displays a dialog if it detects conflicting document versions. You can choose which version to keep; if you keep more than one, the most recent remains the shared version. When editing offline, Pages uploads changes after the Mac reconnects, and you can check status using View > Show Sync Status. Apple’s guide to shared Pages documents on Mac

Restore an earlier version when needed

If a Pages edit was overwritten or removed, open the document and choose File > Revert To > Browse All Versions. Review the timeline before restoring. A restore replaces the current version; to keep both, hold Option and click Restore a Copy to open an earlier version as a separate document. Pages also lets you copy text or objects from an earlier version into the current one. Apple’s Pages version history guide

For files that have a Time Machine backup, you can browse backups from a Finder window opened to the file’s location, select the earlier item, and click Restore. This is useful if the version you need is no longer among the sync conflict choices. Restored items return to their original location, so check how that interacts with the currently synced file before restoring over it. Time Machine recovery requires an available backup containing the desired version. Apple’s guide to restoring items with Time Machine

If the conflict dialog is missing

First identify where the file lives. iCloud Drive conflict handling applies to documents stored in iCloud Drive; a shared folder from another provider may have its own version history, conflict-copy naming, or resolution controls. Finder does not provide a universal merge command for arbitrary project formats. Check the sync provider’s instructions and the application’s version history before changing or deleting a conflict copy.

If no prior version or backup exists, keep the files you still have and ask collaborators for their local copies or exports. Avoid assuming that a file’s newest timestamp contains every edit: sync order is not a content comparison. Once a merged copy is agreed, make it the shared working file and ask collaborators to reopen that copy before continuing. Then edit online where practical, or agree who will edit offline and how to exchange changes when connectivity returns.

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