A Simple Guide to Enable, Disable, or Limit WordPress Post Revisions 

As human beings, we tend to make mistakes when writing, but what if we can undo our mistakes? Is that possible? In the real world, no? In the WordPress world, yes! If you are an avid WordPress user, then you must be aware of its built-in feature – WordPress Post revisions. This feature lets you undo WordPress changes and return to an early version of a post.

Simply put, WordPress Post Revisions acts like a safety net that helps save previous versions of your work in the background. So, if you ever make a mistake or want to go back to a previous draft, you’re covered! Cool, isn’t it? But how do you really use these features to enable, limit, or even delete WordPress post revisions? Of course, there is a lot more you can do with it than just saving your post revisions on your WordPress website. 

So, we are back with another informative blog on how to enable, disable, or Limit Pages and Post Revisions in WordPress development. Let’s learn more about WordPress Post Revision below: 

What is WordPress Post Revision? 

If you are using WordPress editor to write or post or even make edits to it over time, you might write and save every once in a while to make sure you don’t lose your precious work. Each of these saved drafts, along with any published updates, is saved and stored as a “revision” in WordPress. 

Now, for every draft you’re working on, WordPress automatically reserves a temporary version called an auto-save. It happens every 60 seconds, and each new auto-save replaces the old one. 

One of the great things about these post revisions is that you can preview and compare separate versions of your content. It allows you to see your current draft side by side with an earlier version, making it easier to revisit changes or choose which one to publish. Additionally, if you have multiple user roles on your site or any one blog, you can easily track who made each change and when which keeps everything organized.

Unlike auto-saves, WordPress revisions are held permanently. You can easily access them from the post-edit screen, where you can scan through different versions and revert back to any previous one if needed.

Also know about: How to Fix WordPress Revisions Not Showing

How to Undo Changes In WordPress with Post Revisions? 

WordPress makes it easy to track your post revisions. You’ll find the number of revisions listed under the ‘Post’ section in the settings panel on the right side of your editor. Just click on ‘Revisions’ to open the post-revision screen.

Here, you can use the scrollbar at the top to move through different versions of your post. As you scroll, changes made in each revision are highlighted—green for additions and pink for deletions. You can also see details like who made the edits and when.

Now, you can easily switch between revisions using the next and previous buttons or even compare two revisions by checking the ‘Compare any two revisions’ box. This splits the scrollbar, allowing you to view disparities between two separate versions.

If you want to restore an older version, just click ‘Restore This Revision’ or ‘Restore This Autosave.’ Restoring won’t delete your current version—it’ll be saved as a new revision, so you don’t lose anything. Once restored, you can save the revision as your new draft.

Do not miss: How Do I Restore My Website?

How to Limit WordPress Post Revisions?

Generally, WordPress stores an unlimited number of post revisions for each page. But, sometimes, your hosting can limit the number of these post revisions. So, if you have multiple revisions, they can stir up your database and slow down your website. 

But don’t worry; you can always have the option to limit this number and limit WordPress post revision. To prevent WordPress revisions from piling up and slowing down your site, it’s a good idea to limit the number of saved revisions. You can do this by editing the wp-config.php file manually. Here’s how you can easily manage it:

Step 1: Access the wp-config.php File

You’ll need to access your site via FTP using a tool like FileZilla. Once connected, locate the WordPress root directory—usually named public_html or your site’s name.

Step 2: Edit the wp-config.php File

Inside the root directory, find the wp-config.php file. Right-click and choose to edit the file.

Step 3: Modify the Revision Settings

Look for the following line in the file:

phpdefine( ‘WP_POST_REVISIONS’, 3 );

This code controls how many revisions WordPress saves. If you don’t find it in the file, simply add the code above at the end of wp-config.php.

You can adjust the number 3 to the desired number of revisions. For instance:

• Set it to true (default) or -1 to save every revision.
• Set it to false or 0 to disable revisions entirely.

Also Check: How to Setup an FTP Account for WordPress?

Alternative: Use a Plugin

If coding feels daunting, you can install a plugin like WP Revisions Control. This user-friendly tool allows you to manage the number of revisions for different content types, such as posts, pages, or products, without touching the code.

This approach helps you optimize your database and ensures smoother website performance.

How to Disable WordPress Post Revisions?

Now, this is usually not recommended for WordPress users, as limiting the WordPress post revisions can leave room for mistakes and restrict you from making changes. 

If you’re looking to reduce the size of your WordPress database, you might want to disable post revisions. Revisions are handy, but they can also pile up and take up unnecessary space.

Option 1: Use a Plugin

The easiest way to turn off revisions is by installing the Disable Post Revision plugin. 

Once the plugin is up and running, head over to Settings » Writing in your dashboard. From there, just choose which post types you want to stop saving revisions for, and don’t forget to hit Save Changes to lock in your settings.

Option 2: Do It Manually

If you’re more hands-on and don’t want to rely on a plugin, you can add a line of code to your wp-config.php file. Just paste this code in:

phpdefine(‘WP_POST_REVISIONS’, false );

This will turn off WordPress post revisions, but don’t worry—it’ll still keep one autosave and one revision in your browser’s storage, so you won’t lose your progress while editing.

Both options help keep your database maintained and your site running smoothly. Choose whichever feels easier for you!

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How to Delete Old Post Revisions in WordPress?

Older post revisions in WordPress aren’t usually a problem, so you don’t really need to delete them most of the time. But if your site has grown large with tons of content, cleaning up old revisions can help reduce your backup size and keep things tidy.

Option 1: Use a Plugin (The Easy Way)

The simplest method is by using the WP-Optimize plugin. If you’re not sure how to install a plugin, you can check out our easy guide for that.

Once you’ve activated the plugin, head over to the WP-Optimize » Database. You’ll see an option to Clean all post revisions. Just check the box and hit the Run Optimization button. 

This will wipe out all your old revisions. When you’re done, you can even uninstall the plugin—nice and easy!

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Option 2: Use phpMyAdmin (For Advanced Users)

If you’re comfortable with a more technical approach, you can delete post revisions using phpMyAdmin. But first, make sure you’ve got a backup of your WordPress database—just to be safe!

1. Log in to your hosting control panel and open phpMyAdmin.
2. Select your WordPress database from the left menu.
3. Click on the SQL tab at the top.

Enter this command:

sqlDELETE FROM wp_posts WHERE post_type = ‘revision’;

Be sure to swap out wp_ with your actual database prefix. Then click Go, and phpMyAdmin will delete all your old revisions. Both methods help keep your site’s database light and easy to manage!

Heads up: Deleting revisions won’t stop WordPress from saving new ones for future posts, so if you want to limit or stop them altogether, you’ll need to adjust your settings or add a little code to your wp-config.php file.

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Wrapping Up

In conclusion, managing WordPress post revisions—whether you want to enable, disable, or limit them—can be easily done by adjusting your plugin settings or making a quick change to your wp-config.php file. Don’t forget to regularly clean up old revisions to keep your database optimized and running smoothly. Setting a limit on the number of revisions per post is another great way to ensure your site remains efficient. 

We hope this guide has helped you understand how to use WordPress post revisions to undo changes and how to manage them effectively, especially for larger websites