Backups – Autosave and Reverting to a Prior Version of the Page or Post

Autosave and Page/Post Revisions

Overview

Each time you click Publish or Update while editing a Page or Post, WordPress stores a revision.

WordPress also autosaves the page, similar to the autosave function in Microsoft Word.

Note:  these times are calculated based on the time zone set in Settings…General.

Turning on the Revisions Box

By default, WordPress does not display the Revisions box.

To turn it on:

1. In the upper right of the Edit or Add New screen, locate and click the Screen Options tab:

2. The tab expands downward to display additional blocks:

3. Click the checkbox next to Revisions.

4. Click the Screen Options tab again to close the tab and save the changes.

Restoring a Page to a Prior Revision

1. In the Revisions box, click the date/time link for the revision you want to restore.  The Compare Revisions screen appears:

2. Click Restore this Revision. The Revision screen closes.

Note: the revisions are displayed in raw HTML, which contains specialized formatting codes.  Contact Web Services at websupport@cals.wisc.edu for help in understanding the text and picking the best version to restore.