Undo mistakes with revisions
Learn how to use WordPress revisions to view the history of a page or post and restore any earlier version — so mistakes are never permanent.
Made a mistake on a page? Accidentally deleted a section? Don't worry — WordPress automatically saves a history of every edit you make. You can go back and restore any earlier version at any time. This feature is called revisions.
Quick summary
Revisions are automatic saves of your content. To access them, open the page or post for editing, click the three-dot menu in the top-right corner (or look for "Revisions" in the right-hand panel), and browse the history. Select the version you want and click Restore this revision.
What you'll need
Beginner 2–5 minutes- The page or post you want to restore, open for editing. You need at least an Editor role.
How revisions work
Every time WordPress saves your content — either automatically or when you click Save Draft, Update, or Publish — it creates a revision. A revision is a complete snapshot of the page at that moment.
WordPress stores revisions for every page and post. You can compare any two versions side by side and restore the one you want. Restoring a revision does not delete the current version — WordPress keeps everything in the history.
View and restore a revision
Open the page or post for editing. Go to Pages or Posts in the WordPress dashboard, hover over the item, and click Edit.
Open the right-hand panel. If the panel isn't visible, click the settings icon (a square with two columns) in the top-right corner.
Click the Post tab in the right-hand panel. Scroll down to find the Revisions section. Click it to expand it. You'll see how many revisions exist and a link to browse them.
Click "Browse revisions." A new screen opens showing a comparison view: the left column shows the previous version, the right column shows the version you selected.
Use the slider at the top to move through the revision history. Drag left for older versions, right for newer ones. The date and author of each revision is shown.
Find the version you want to restore. Look for content that was there before the mistake.
Click "Restore this revision." The page reverts to that version. You're taken back to the editor with the restored content loaded.
Click Update or Publish to save the restored version to the live site.
Your content is safe
Restoring a revision brings back that version of the content — nothing is permanently deleted. You can always go back to the revisions list again if you restore the wrong version.
Compare two specific versions
The revision comparison screen shows changes highlighted in color:
| Color | What it means |
|---|---|
| Green (added) | Text that was added in this version |
| Red (removed) | Text that was deleted in this version |
Use this to pinpoint exactly where something changed. This is especially helpful if you're trying to find a specific paragraph that was accidentally deleted.
Revisions compare text, not visual layout
The revision comparison view shows the raw text content, not a visual preview of the page. You may see block markup alongside your text. If this looks confusing, focus on the colored sections to find the change you're looking for.
How many revisions are kept?
By default, WordPress keeps revisions indefinitely. Some hosting configurations limit this to a set number (often 10–25 revisions) to keep the database tidy. If you need to recover a version that was saved a long time ago and it's not in the revisions list, contact us — we may be able to restore it from a site backup instead. See how WordPress backups work.
The difference between revisions and autosaves
WordPress also creates autosaves — automatic drafts saved every 60 seconds while you are actively editing. These appear in the revision history labeled "Autosave." They are especially useful if your browser crashes before you clicked Save.
| Type | When it's created | How long it's kept |
|---|---|---|
| Revision | Every time you save/publish | Until the host's limit is reached |
| Autosave | Every 60 seconds while editing | Replaced by the next autosave |
Common questions
Related guides
- How to edit a page
- Drafts, previews, and publishing
- How WordPress backups work
- Deleting & restoring pages and posts
- How to add a new user
Need a hand?
Learn more
How to embed a video
Learn how to embed YouTube, Vimeo, and other videos into your WordPress pages and posts without slowing down your site.
How to schedule a post or page
Learn how to schedule WordPress content to publish automatically at a future date and time — without having to be at your computer.