Troubleshooting “Workflow History is Missing” in SharePoint

The “Workflow History is Missing” error occurs when the workflow history associated with a SharePoint workflow is unavailable or inaccessible. Workflow history is essential for tracking workflow progress, troubleshooting errors, and maintaining logs of executed workflow actions.

This issue can arise due to the automatic deletion of history records, insufficient permissions, corrupt lists, or workflow association issues. Below is a detailed step-by-step guide to diagnose and resolve the problem.

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Step 1: Check if Workflow History List Exists

1. Go to Site Contents:
   • Open SharePoint and navigate to the site where the workflow is running.
   • Click on “Site Contents” and look for a list named “Workflow History”.
2. Manually Open the Workflow History List:
   • If the list exists, click on it and check if any records are available.
   • If an error occurs while accessing the list, it may be corrupted or have permission issues.
3. Search for Renamed Lists:
   • If the Workflow History list has been renamed, workflows may fail to log actions correctly.
   • Go to List Settings and check if the list name has been changed.

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Step 2: Verify Workflow History Retention Settings

1. SharePoint Automatically Deletes Workflow History

• SharePoint automatically removes workflow history records after 60 days by default in SharePoint 2010 and 2013 workflows.
• If your workflow ran more than 60 days ago, its history may have been purged.

2. Increase Workflow History Retention

• If you need workflow history for long-term tracking, use Power Automate logging, or log actions to a separate custom list instead of the built-in Workflow History list.
• If you want to prevent history deletion in SharePoint Designer workflows:
  • Modify the workflow to log data to a separate SharePoint list instead of Workflow History.

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Step 3: Check Workflow History List Permissions

1. Go to Site Contents > Workflow History List.
2. Click on List Settings > Permissions for this list.
3. Ensure that the following groups have the correct permissions:
   • Workflow Initiators – Contribute or Edit
   • Workflow Owners – Full Control
   • System Account (if used) – Full Control
4. If permissions were removed, restore them and test the workflow again.

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Step 4: Ensure Workflow History List is Not Hidden

By default, the Workflow History List is hidden in SharePoint. To check and unhide it:

For SharePoint On-Premises (PowerShell Method)

1. Open SharePoint Management Shell as Administrator.
2. Run the following PowerShell command: Get-SPWeb "https://yoursiteurl" | Select-Object -ExpandProperty Lists | Where-Object { $_.Title -like "*Workflow History*" }
3. If the list appears but is hidden, unhide it using: $web = Get-SPWeb "https://yoursiteurl" $list = $web.Lists["Workflow History"] $list.Hidden = $false $list.Update()

For SharePoint Online (Using SharePoint Designer)

1. Open SharePoint Designer and connect to your site.
2. Click on “All Items” under Lists and Libraries.
3. Find Workflow History, right-click, and select Properties.
4. Ensure Hidden is set to False.
5. Save and re-publish the workflow.

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Step 5: Restore a Deleted Workflow History List

If the list was accidentally deleted, try restoring it from the Recycle Bin:

1. Go to Site Settings > Recycle Bin.
2. Look for the deleted Workflow History list.
3. Select it and click Restore.
4. After restoration, re-run the workflow to see if history logs correctly.

If the list is permanently deleted, create a new one (Step 6).

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Step 6: Recreate the Workflow History List

If the Workflow History List was deleted and cannot be restored, create a new one:

For SharePoint 2010/2013 Workflows (Using SharePoint Designer):

1. Go to Site Contents > Add a new list.
2. Choose “Custom List”, name it “Workflow History”.
3. Open SharePoint Designer and:
   • Select your workflow.
   • Go to Workflow Settings > History List.
   • Change the workflow to use the newly created Workflow History list.
4. Save and Republish the workflow.

For Power Automate Workflows:

• Create a new SharePoint List (e.g., “Workflow Logs”).
• Modify your Power Automate workflow to log messages to this list instead of the default history.

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Step 7: Check Workflow Timer Service (For On-Premises Users)

The Workflow Timer Service is responsible for processing workflows and logging history. If it is not running, workflows may not log history properly.

1. Open Services (services.msc) on your SharePoint Server.
2. Locate “SharePoint 2013 Workflow Timer Service”.
3. If it is stopped, restart it.
4. Alternatively, restart it using PowerShell: Restart-Service SPTimerV4

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Step 8: Check SharePoint Logs for Errors (For On-Premises Users)

If workflows are not logging history, check ULS logs for errors:

1. Open SharePoint Management Shell.
2. Run: Get-SPLogEvent | Where-Object { $_.Message -like "*workflow*" }
3. Look for messages related to history list access, missing lists, or service failures.

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Step 9: Re-Publish or Recreate the Workflow

If history logging still does not work, try recreating the workflow:

1. Open SharePoint Designer or Power Automate.
2. Save a backup of the existing workflow.
3. Create a new workflow with the same logic, but log actions to a new history list.
4. Publish and test the workflow.

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