How to manage content revisions in WordPress

Edit the post or page you want to review. In the editor settings sidebar, open the Post or Page tab and select the number beside Revisions. On WordPress 7.0 and later this opens the newer revisions screen; older versions use the classic screen.

If you cannot see the sidebar, open the editor settings panel near the top-right of the screen. If there is no revisions entry, save the content first and check whether the post type supports revisions.

Use the revision slider to move through earlier saves. WordPress highlights inserted, deleted, and changed text, and shows the user and time associated with each revision. You can also enable Compare any two revisions to compare two specific points in the history.

Review the title, body, excerpt, and other stored fields carefully. Revision comparisons are primarily text or HTML comparisons, so a page builder’s visual layout may not be represented perfectly.

Move to the version you want, then select Restore or Restore This Revision, depending on your WordPress version. WordPress loads that content into the editor as the current version; check it before selecting Update or Publish.

Restoring is not the same as deleting the newer history. The restoration creates another saved change, so you can usually compare or reverse it later. Do not restore an autosave blindly: it may contain only part of your work, especially if the browser went offline or the page was open in more than one window.

For a small site, the default setting that keeps revisions enabled is usually fine. If the database is growing because posts are edited frequently, add a limit in wp-config.php before the line that says WordPress has stopped editing. For example, define( 'WP_POST_REVISIONS', 10 ); keeps a maximum of 10 regular revisions per post.

WordPress also supports true or -1 for unlimited revisions and false or 0 to disable regular revisions, although autosaves still behave separately. Make a backup first, and remember that lowering the limit does not instantly remove every old revision; older revisions are removed as the post is updated again.

If revisions are missing, save the post again, check the editor sidebar, and confirm that revisions are enabled for that post type. A site-wide setting such as WP_POST_REVISIONS, a custom post type without revision support, a plugin, or a page builder can prevent revisions from appearing.

Do not assume a revision is a full site backup. Core revisions normally track fields such as the title, author, content, and excerpt, but they do not restore deleted media files, theme settings, plugin settings, or unrelated database data. If the required version is no longer in the history, restore it from a database or site backup.

The native feature is enough when one or two trusted users occasionally need to undo a change. It does not, by itself, provide a proper approval queue for edits to already-published content, editorial notifications, or a safe way for contributors to submit changes without publishing them.

Fast way: for an editorial team, install PublishPress Revisions from the WordPress Plugins screen. It adds pending revisions, approval and rejection, comparison, permissions, and scheduled updates while keeping the normal WordPress editor.