Undo changes and restore snapshots
Updated
The site keeps a history of its changes. You can reverse one change with Undo, and you can put the whole site back to an earlier moment with a snapshot. The history lists every change from the visual editor, the Website Agent, and the site build, newest first.
Find the history
There are two places, and both show the same changes.
- On the site's page, the Changes section lists the changes, and the Snapshots section lists the snapshots.
- In the editor, select Change history in the header. A sheet opens with a Changes tab and a Snapshots tab.
Each change shows what it did in one line, a badge for its source, and who made it and when, in UTC. The badges are Visual editor, Website Agent, Site build, Undo, Snapshot restore, and WordPress. The list shows the 10 newest changes. Select Show older changes to load the next 10. A site with no change yet says "No changes yet".
Undo a change
- Find the change in the Changes list.
- Select Undo in its row. The button reads "Undoing…" while the site works.
When the undo finishes, a message names the change you undid. The history gains a change of its own with the Undo badge, and the original row reads "Undone on" with the date and time. An undo asks for no confirmation, because you can undo the undo. Select Undo on the Undo row to apply the original change again.
The Website Agent's change cards in the chat have an Undo button too, and it does the same thing. Ask the Website Agent for a change describes the cards.
When a change can't be undone
A row that can't be undone has a line that says why, in place of the button.
| Message | Why | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| This change can't be undone, because a later change edited the same content. Undo that change first. | A later change wrote the same content. The message names the later change when it can. | Undo the later change, then undo this one. |
| This change can't be undone, because someone edited the same content in WP Admin after it. Change it in the editor instead. | The content changed outside the editor and the Website Agent. | Edit the content in the editor. |
| This change can't be undone, because it replaced files on the site. | The change replaced files, such as installed fonts, and the site can't bring the old files back. | Make the change you want in the editor instead. |
| This change can't be undone, because the site no longer keeps its record. | The change was a restore, and the site has deleted the snapshot that it saved before the restore. | Restore a snapshot that the list still shows, or make the change you want in the editor. |
| This change can't be undone, because the site didn't record what it changed. | The site stored the change before it kept the record that an undo needs. | Make the change you want in the editor instead. |
If the site doesn't answer, the row says "The change wasn't undone, because the site didn't answer. Try again in a minute."
Snapshots
A snapshot holds every page, item, menu, and setting of the site at one moment. The site saves a snapshot before the Website Agent's first change in each request, and before each restore. The site keeps the 30 newest snapshots, plus the newest one of each day for 30 days. Each snapshot shows its moment in UTC and a label: "Before the Website Agent's changes", "Before a restore", or "Saved by the Website Agent".
A site with no snapshot says "No snapshots yet". Select Show older snapshots to load more.
Restore a snapshot
- Find the snapshot in the Snapshots list.
- Select Restore in its row.
- Read the dialog titled "Restore the snapshot from" and the moment. It says that every page, item, menu, and setting goes back to how it was, and that changes made after it are replaced. Images added after that moment leave the media library, and their files wait in the site's trash for 30 days before the site deletes them.
- Select Restore snapshot. Select Keep the current site to cancel.
While the site restores, the list says "Restoring the snapshot…". When it finishes, a message says "The site was restored to" and the moment.
Only the workspace owner or an admin can restore a snapshot. Other members see the Restore button inactive, with the note "Only the workspace owner or an admin can restore a snapshot."
The site saves a snapshot of its current state first, so a restore appears in the history as a change you can undo. If the site changed while the restore was starting, nothing is restored, and the list says "The site changed while the restore was starting, so nothing was restored. Try again." If the site doesn't answer, the list says "The snapshot wasn't restored, because the site didn't answer. Nothing changed. Try again in a minute."