> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://buttercms.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Restoring content
> Learn how to restore previous versions of your content in ButterCMS, including reverting to locked versions and undoing changes.
There are [important limitations to be aware of](../creating-editing-content/components/component-versioning) when restoring Pages that use Components.
# Restoring content
You can restore drafts from the version history via the **Revert to this version** button.
When you restore a previous version:
1. The content from the selected version is loaded into a new draft
2. Any current draft changes are replaced
3. The restored content becomes your new working draft
4. You can then review and publish the restored content
5. The version history is preserved—nothing is deleted
Restoration creates a new draft with the historical content. The original version you restored from remains in the timeline, and your previous draft also remains accessible in the history.
## Step-by-step restoration
### Restoring a locked version
1. **Open the content**: Navigate to the Page, Collection Item, or content you need to restore
2. **Access revision history**: Click on the revision history option in the editor
3. **Find the version**: Scroll through the timeline to locate the version you want to restore (look for 🔒 Locked status for previously published versions)
4. **Preview first**: Click to preview the version and confirm it contains the content you need
5. **Revert to the version**: Click the **Revert to this version** button.
6. **Confirm the action**: Acknowledge that your current draft will be replaced
7. **Review the restored content**: The historical content is now your current draft
8. **Publish when ready**: Review and publish to make the restored content live
If you're creating a draft over a published version, and you want to just get rid of your changes, you can also [delete your draft](../publishing-lifecycle/managing-drafts#deleting-drafts) instead of restoring.
### When to delete a draft vs. restore
| Action | Use when |
| ------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Delete draft** | You want to discard all uncommitted changes and keep the current published version |
| **Restore version** | You need to go back to a specific point in history, potentially multiple versions back |
## Version behavior during restoration
For details on how version states change when you unpublish, see [Revision History](./revision-history-overview#page-versioning-workflow).
### Restoration flow
```mermaid theme={null}
flowchart TB
subgraph before["Before Restoration"]
direction LR
a1["v1 · Locked
Jan 10"]:::locked --> a2["v2 · Locked
Jan 15"]:::locked --> a3["v3 · Draft
Current"]:::draft
end
subgraph after["After Restoring v1"]
direction LR
b1["v1 · Locked
Jan 10"]:::locked --> b2["v2 · Locked
Jan 15"]:::locked --> b3["v3 · Locked
Today"]:::locked --> b4["v4 · Draft
Current
content from v1"]:::new
end
before ~~~ after
classDef locked fill:#dbeafe,stroke:#3b82f6,color:#1e3a5f
classDef draft fill:#fef9c3,stroke:#ca8a04,color:#713f12
classDef new fill:#dcfce7,stroke:#16a34a,color:#14532d
```
## Restoring different content types
Pages and collections support full restoration.
Blog Posts have limited restoration:
* Simplified version model
* Direct editing of published content
* Limited rollback capabilities compared to Pages
Blog Posts don't support the same robust versioning as Pages. For content that requires frequent rollbacks, consider using a Page Type instead of the Blog Engine.
## What gets restored
When you restore a version, all of the following are included:
All text, rich text, numbers, dates, and other field values from the historical version.
The images and files that were attached to the content at that point. Note: This restores the *reference* to the media—if the media file itself was deleted from the Media Library, it won't be recovered.
For pages with Component Picker fields, all Components and their configurations are restored to their historical state.
Links to other Pages and Collection items are restored. If the referenced content no longer exists, those references may be broken.
Meta titles, descriptions, slugs, and all other metadata fields.
## Content schema changes
If you've made changes to your content model (added or removed fields), those changes affect what's accessible in historical versions. See [Retention policies](./retention-policies#content-modeling-limitations) for a full explanation.
### Restoration with schema changes
| Scenario | Behavior |
| ----------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------ |
| New field added after version | The restored version won't have data for the new field |
| Field removed after version | Historical data for that field won't be visible |
| Field type changed | Data may not display correctly |
| Component schema changed | Component instances may be affected |
Before making schema changes, consider whether you'll need to access historical versions. Document major schema changes and their impact on version history.
## Permissions for restoration
### Who can restore content
| Role | View history | Preview versions | Restore versions | Publish restored |
| ------------- | ------------ | ---------------- | ---------------- | ---------------- |
| **Admin** | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| **Publisher** | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| **Author** | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
Authors can view and preview historical versions but must request restoration from a Publisher or Admin.
## Troubleshooting restoration
Versions are created on each save. If the change you're looking for wasn't saved separately, it may be combined with other changes in a single version.
If fields were added to the schema after this version was created, they won't have data. You'll need to fill in these fields manually.
If media files were deleted from the Media Library after this version, the references won't work. You'll need to re-upload or select new media.
Contact a Publisher or Admin on your team to perform the restoration for you.