WordPress Revisions Not Showing? Why the Revisions Option Disappears and How to Get It Back

On this page

1. Where WordPress revisions normally appear
2. WordPress revisions not showing: the common causes
3. Check wp-config.php for revision settings
4. Check database cleanup and optimisation plugins
5. Products, custom post types and revisions
6. Elementor and other page builders
7. User roles and permissions
8. Revisions exist but changes are not showing on the site
9. How to restore an older version safely
10. Revisions are not backups
11. Quick check: are revisions turned off?
12. When to get help
13. FAQs

If WordPress revisions are not showing, the usual reasons are simple: the post has only been saved once, revisions are disabled or limited in wp-config.php, a database cleanup plugin has deleted them, or the content type (or page builder) does not use WordPress revisions. Work through the checks below in order and you will usually find the cause in a few minutes.

This guide is for business owners and editors who want to restore an earlier version of a page or post, and for anyone who has noticed the Revisions option has vanished from the editor.

Where WordPress revisions normally appear

In the block editor (Gutenberg), open the post or page, make sure the Post or Page tab is selected in the right sidebar, and look for Revisions with a number next to it. Clicking it opens the revisions screen, where you can compare versions with a slider and restore one.

In the classic editor, revisions appear in the Publish box as "Revisions: number" with a Browse link, and optionally in a Revisions box below the editor. If that box is missing, open Screen Options at the top right of the screen and tick Revisions.

Revisions only show once a post has been saved at least twice with changes. A brand-new page published in one go has nothing to compare, so the option will not appear yet. If you need help finding your way around the editor, see how to edit your website content in WordPress.

WordPress revisions not showing: the common causes

Cause	How to spot it	Fix
Only one save so far	New post, no Revisions count	Save a change; the option appears from the second save
Revisions disabled in wp-config.php	No revisions on any post, even old ones	Change or remove the WP_POST_REVISIONS setting
Revisions limited to a small number	Only the latest few versions exist	Raise the limit to a sensible number
Cleanup plugin deleting revisions	Revisions vanish after a scheduled cleanup	Change the plugin settings to keep recent revisions
Post type without revision support	Revisions work on posts but not on products or a custom type	Add revision support in code, or accept a different history method
Page builder content	Page edited in Elementor or another builder	Use the builder's own history or revisions panel
User role restrictions	Editors see revisions, contributors do not	Check the user's role and permissions

Check wp-config.php for revision settings

WordPress lets site owners control revisions with a setting called WP_POST_REVISIONS in the wp-config.php file. Some hosts, developers or performance guides set it to false (no revisions at all) or to a small number to keep the database smaller.

To check, open wp-config.php through your hosting file manager or SFTP and search for WP_POST_REVISIONS. If it is set to false or 0, revisions are switched off. If it is set to a number, WordPress keeps only that many revisions per post. Remove the line to return to the default (unlimited), or set a reasonable number such as 10 to 20, which keeps useful history without bloating the database.

Always take a backup before editing wp-config.php. A typing mistake in this file can take the whole site offline. Our WordPress backup and restore guide explains how.

Check database cleanup and optimisation plugins

Many performance and cleanup plugins include an option to delete post revisions, sometimes on a schedule. Caching suites, database optimisation tools and some security plugins all offer this. If revisions existed and then disappeared, this is the most likely cause.

Open each such plugin's database or cleanup settings and look for options about post revisions. Either stop automatic deletion or set it to keep a number of recent revisions. Deleted revisions cannot be brought back from inside WordPress; the only way to recover them is from a backup taken before the cleanup.

Cleaning old revisions is a reasonable part of WordPress database optimisation, but it should keep recent history rather than wiping it every week.

Products, custom post types and revisions

Revisions only work for content types that declare support for them. Posts and pages support revisions by default. WooCommerce products and many custom post types created by themes or plugins (portfolios, team members, listings) may not, so the option never appears for them.

A developer can add revision support to a custom post type with a small code change in a site-specific plugin. For WooCommerce products, think carefully: product data such as price and stock lives partly outside the main content, so a revision would not restore everything. An activity log is often more useful for tracking who changed a product and when; see WordPress activity logs.

Elementor and other page builders

Page builders store their layout data in their own format, and they offer their own history tools. In Elementor, open the History panel inside the editor to see recent actions and saved revisions, and restore from there. Restoring a WordPress revision for a page built with a page builder may not restore the layout correctly, so use the builder's own tools first.

If Elementor itself will not open, see Elementor not loading. If a layout broke after a plugin update rather than after an edit, the cause is different and a backup or rollback is usually the faster fix.

User roles and permissions

Users can only see and restore revisions for content they are allowed to edit. A contributor or author may not see revisions on a page they cannot edit. If one person sees revisions and another does not, compare their roles. WordPress user roles explained describes what each role can do.

Revisions exist but changes are not showing on the site

Sometimes the revision has been restored but the live page still looks old. That is usually caching: a page cache, a CDN or the browser is serving the earlier version. Clear the cache in your caching plugin and hosting panel, then check in a private window. WordPress changes not showing walks through every cache layer.

How to restore an older version safely

1. Open the post or page and click Revisions.
2. Use the slider or arrows to find the version you want, and compare it with the current one.
3. Click Restore This Revision. WordPress saves the current version as a new revision first, so you can undo the restore.
4. Check the page on the front end, on mobile and desktop, and clear caches.

Restoring a revision only changes that post's content, title and excerpt. It does not restore menus, widgets, settings, images that were deleted from the media library, or plugin data.

Revisions are not backups

Revisions help with editing mistakes on a single page. They do not protect you from a failed update, a hacked site, a deleted page or a broken plugin. For that you need regular off-site backups that you have actually tested. A monthly care plan normally covers backups, updates and checks like these; see WordPress maintenance if you would rather not manage it yourself.

If you need someone to investigate missing revisions, restore lost content from backup or tidy up the database safely, you can hire a WordPress developer in India through Samverse, or see WordPress developer in Pune if you are nearby.

Quick check: are revisions turned off?

1. Open a post in the editor, click the settings icon and look under Post for a Revisions count.
2. Search wp-config.php for WP_POST_REVISIONS. A value of false or 0 turns revisions off.
3. Check database clean-up plugins: some delete revisions on a schedule.

When to get help

Get help when you have lost content that you need back and revisions are gone, when only an old backup holds it, or when a clean-up plugin has removed more than revisions. WordPress maintenance and support includes daily backups and restores. You can also hire a WordPress developer in India, or send the details through the contact form.

FAQs

Why are WordPress revisions not showing in the block editor?

Check the Post or Page tab in the right sidebar. If there is no Revisions count, the post may have been saved only once, revisions may be disabled in wp-config.php, or a cleanup plugin may have deleted them.

How do I enable revisions in WordPress?

Remove or change the WP_POST_REVISIONS line in wp-config.php so it is not false or 0, and make sure no plugin is deleting revisions automatically. Take a backup first.

Can I recover WordPress revisions after they were deleted?

Not from inside WordPress. The only way is to restore the database, or extract the content, from a backup taken before the revisions were removed.

Why do WooCommerce products not show revisions?

Products do not support revisions by default. A developer can add support, but much product data sits outside the main content, so an activity log is often a better way to track changes.

How many revisions should WordPress keep?

There is no fixed rule. Many sites keep somewhere around 10 to 20 per post, which gives useful history without making the database much larger.

Do revisions slow down a WordPress site?

Revisions are stored in the database but are not loaded on normal page views. Very large numbers can make the database bigger and some admin queries slower, which is why many sites limit them.