Tally Prime Edit Log: Turn It On and Review Changes to Vouchers

To turn on the Edit Log in regular TallyPrime, load your company, press Alt+K and choose Alter, press F12 to open Configure and enable Set Edit Log Applicability, then set Enable Edit Log to Yes on the company alteration screen. Once on, TallyPrime records who created, changed or deleted vouchers and masters, and when, and lets you compare a changed voucher with its earlier version. This guide covers setup, the two TallyPrime releases and how to review the log.

Who this is for

This is for accountants, business owners and auditors who use TallyPrime and need a record of changes to books of account. By the end you will have the Edit Log enabled, know what it captures, and know how to look at edited and deleted entries during a review.

The steps below follow Tally Solutions' published article on the audit trail in TallyPrime. Menu labels can differ slightly between TallyPrime versions, so if a label does not match, check the help for your release.

What the Edit Log is

The Edit Log is TallyPrime's audit trail. It records:

• Creation, alteration and deletion of transactions
• Changes to masters, including ledgers, stock items, groups and company master details
• The user who made each change, with the date and time

Tally's article also notes that the Ministry of Corporate Affairs audit trail requirement applies from 1 April 2023, after being deferred from April 2022. Whether the rule applies to your company is a question for your auditor or chartered accountant; this article only explains the tool.

Two releases: regular and Edit Log Release

TallyPrime has two variants relevant here.

Tally states that both releases have the same features and capabilities. Tally says the Edit Log Release is the one to use if your company falls under the Ministry of Corporate Affairs audit trail requirement. If you need to disable the log for any reason, you must use the regular release.

Prerequisites

• TallyPrime with the company data you want to track
• A user with permission to alter the company. If you use security controls, sign in as the administrator
• A backup of your data before changing company settings

Take a backup first by copying the company data folder or using your normal backup routine. Changing configuration is low risk, but a backup is good practice before any alteration.

Enable the Edit Log (regular release)

1. Load the company in TallyPrime.
2. Press Alt+K to open the Company menu, then choose Alter.
3. Press F12 to open Configure and turn on the option labelled Set Edit Log Applicability.
4. On the company alteration screen, set Enable Edit Log to Yes.
5. Accept the screen to save the changes.

For a new company, create it first and then follow the same steps from the F12 Configure step.

If you are on the Edit Log Release, there is nothing to switch on. The feature is permanently enabled.

What changes after you enable it

From the point you enable the log, TallyPrime tracks changes. Tally's article does not state that changes made before enablement are reconstructed, so treat the log as starting from the date you turned it on. If your compliance deadline falls on a particular date, enable it before that date and confirm with your auditor how earlier periods are handled.

Review the Edit Log

Tally describes these ways to review what changed.

Filter edited and deleted transactions

Reports such as the Day Book and voucher registers include an option to filter and sort edited and deleted transactions. Open the report, apply the Edit Log related filter available in that report, and the list shows the entries that were changed or removed.

Compare a voucher with its earlier version

From a report, open a modified transaction. TallyPrime lets you compare it with the previous version so you can see which elements changed, such as the amount, the ledger or the date.

Review master changes

Because the log also covers masters, changes to ledgers, stock items, groups and company details are recorded along with the user and time. This helps when a ledger group was changed and balances moved between reports.

A simple monthly review routine

1. Pick the period, for example the last month, in the Day Book.
2. Filter for edited and deleted transactions.
3. Open each entry and compare it with its previous version.
4. Ask the user who made the change, shown in the log, to explain any change you do not recognise.
5. Note exceptions in a review sheet and agree with your auditor how they should be documented.

Doing this monthly means an unexpected deletion is noticed while people still remember the context.

Good practice for users and security

The log is only as meaningful as the user identity behind it. If everyone signs in with the same login, the log will show the same user for every change. Set up separate users in TallyPrime for each person who enters data, and restrict who can alter company settings. Keep the administrator credentials with the owner or finance head.

Also consider restricting who can delete vouchers. An audit trail records a deletion, but preventing casual deletion is easier than investigating it afterwards.

Tell your team before you switch it on

An audit trail changes how people work, even though it does not block anything. Tell data-entry staff that edits and deletions are now recorded with their user name, the date and the time. Explain that correcting a genuine mistake is still fine, and that the purpose is a clear history rather than punishment. People who know the log exists tend to enter vouchers more carefully and to prefer a documented correction over a quiet deletion.

Agree a simple rule for corrections: edit the voucher where the product allows it, and write the reason in the narration so a reviewer reading the comparison later understands why the amount or ledger changed. This turns the log from a bare list of changes into a record that explains itself.

Example review scenario

Suppose a purchase voucher dated early in the month shows a different amount from the figure on the supplier's invoice. Open the Day Book for that period, apply the filter for edited and deleted transactions, and find the voucher. Open the earlier version next to the current one. If the amount was changed, the comparison shows the old and new values, and the log shows which user made the change and when. You can then check the supplier document and decide whether the correction was right. The same approach works for a deleted sales voucher: the log tells you it was deleted, by whom and at what time, which is the starting point for asking why.

Troubleshooting

I cannot find Set Edit Log Applicability

Make sure you pressed F12 from the company alteration path described above, not from the voucher entry screen. Configuration options appear based on the screen you are on. Also confirm that you are running a recent TallyPrime release, since the option comes from Tally's audit trail article for TallyPrime.

The log does not show earlier edits

The log tracks from the time it was enabled. Changes before that are not shown.

I need to turn the log off but cannot

You are probably on the Edit Log Release, which cannot disable the feature. Only the regular release gives you that option.

Several changes show one user

Create individual users instead of a shared login.

Related reading

For setting up GST in Tally, see TallyPrime GST setup and filing guide. If you are weighing accounting packages, see Tally Prime vs Zoho Books for India.

Checklist

• Back up company data
• Decide between the regular release and the Edit Log Release
• Enable Edit Log through Alt+K, Alter, F12 Configure and Enable Edit Log
• Create individual user logins
• Schedule a monthly review of edited and deleted entries
• Confirm audit trail obligations with your auditor

References

• Audit Trail (Edit Log) in TallyPrime, Tally Solutions: https://tallysolutions.com/tally/audit-trail-in-tallyprime/
• The All-New Edit Log Feature in TallyPrime, Tally Solutions: https://tallysolutions.com/us/tally/all-new-edit-log-feature-in-tallyprime/