> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.overflowcms.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.overflowcms.com/editor-guide/version-history.md).

# Version History

Every item's create, save, publish, unpublish, and revert is tracked automatically — who changed what, and when — with a one-click revert back to any earlier point. Collection field-schema edits (renaming, adding, or removing a field) get their own, separate history for the same reason. Nothing has to be turned on; it's on by default for every plan, differing only in how far back it goes — see Retention by plan below.

### Item history

Open any item and scroll to the **History** card below the editor. Every save, publish, unpublish, and revert on that item shows up here as its own timestamped entry, newest first, with who made the change:

![The History card on an item editor, showing a real Published/Saved/Published/Saved timeline](https://overflowcms.com/images/docs-screenshots/version-history-timeline.png)

{% hint style="info" %}
A **Save** event is written on every autosave, but saves from the same person within a 5-minute window collapse into a single entry instead of one row per keystroke — the timestamp just moves forward. Publish, unpublish, and revert always get their own entry, since those are the checkpoints worth a durable marker.
{% endhint %}

### Reading a diff

Click **View** on any entry to see exactly what changed in that version, field by field:

![The version-detail dialog, showing a GitHub-style red/green inline diff on the Title field and "Unchanged" on every other field](https://overflowcms.com/images/docs-screenshots/version-history-diff.png)

Text fields (text, rich text, options) diff inline, GitHub-style — removed words struck through on red, added words on green, everything else left plain. Fields that didn't change are labeled **Unchanged**; fields with non-text values (images, numbers, dates, booleans) show a plain before/after instead of a word diff.

{% hint style="info" %}
The very first tracked version of an item that already existed before version history shipped has nothing earlier to compare against — that entry shows its saved values plainly instead of falsely marking every field as newly added. Every version after that diffs normally.
{% endhint %}

### Reverting

Every version has two revert options:

* **Revert to draft** — restores that version's data into your working draft. It stays a draft; nothing goes live until you hit **Publish** yourself. This is the default for a reason: a revert previews before it ships.
* **Revert & publish** — restores the version and publishes it in the same step, for when you already know that's what you want live.

Either way, reverting itself is logged as a new **Reverted** entry — it doesn't rewrite history, it adds to it, so the version you moved away from is still right there if you change your mind again.

### Collection field-schema history

Field-schema changes — renaming a field, adding or removing one, changing its type — get their own **History** card on the collection's **Fields** tab (see [Collections & Fields](/editor-guide/collections-and-fields.md)), separate from item content history. The timeline, diff, and revert mechanics are the same.

{% hint style="warning" %}
Reverting a field schema is riskier than reverting one item: existing items keep their raw saved values, but any field that isn't in the reverted snapshot won't show in the editor until it's re-added — the data isn't deleted, just hidden. Admin+ role is required to revert a schema for exactly this reason.
{% endhint %}

### Retention by plan

|                 | Starter | Pro       | SEO Engine |
| --------------- | ------- | --------- | ---------- |
| Version history | 30 days | Unlimited | Unlimited  |

A nightly sweep prunes item and collection versions older than your plan's window — always keeping at least the most recent version of each item and collection, so you're never left with zero history right at the cutoff. See [Plans & Billing](/plans-and-billing.md) for the full plan comparison.

Related pages: [Publishing Workflow](/editor-guide/publishing-workflow.md) covers the draft/published/scheduled states that version history sits alongside; [Collections & Fields](/editor-guide/collections-and-fields.md) covers the field editor whose changes show up in the schema history above.


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