WordPress uses two features to safeguard your content when you prepare to publish online. They are – one is autosave and other is revision. It is necessary to understand the fundamentals of autosave and revision so that you can be sure what is going on when you type on the editor. In this article we have explained all details of WordPress autosave and revisions. We have given the screenshot with classic editor, though it works in the same manner, the screens may be different on Gutenberg editor.
What is WordPress Autosave?
WordPress autosave your changes every 60 seconds whenever you create your content in post editor. This is a core WordPress feature which can’t be disabled in the admin dashboard. The purpose of this autosave is to restore the content in case if your browser or system crashes or internet connection is lost during modification.
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How to View Autosaved Content?
There will be only one autosave per post or page and the same will be overwritten during each new autosave. In case of multiple editors one autosave revision is saved for each editor. You can view the autosave information in the status bar just below the content editor whenever the content is autosaved.
WordPress stores autosaved content as a revision in “wp_post” table with the post name as “{post ID}-Autosave” which you can view under your post content along with other revisions.
Autosave and other revisions will be visible only when you click on “Save Draft” or “Publish” or “Update” button.
Related: WordPress autosave Vs revisions.
Restoring Autosaved Revision
If your computer or browser crashed while editing a post the last autosaved revision can be restored easily. When you go back to edit the same post you will see a message like below to indicate that there is an autosaved revision available for backup.
Clicking on the link will take you to the revisions page where you have an option to restore that revision.
What is Browser Restore?
When the internet connection is lost during content modification, WordPress can’t access your database to store autosaved revision. In this scenario WordPress will store the content in your browser’s local storage. You will see the below message when the internet connection is lost while editing your post:
After sometime if you get connected and edit the post again WordPress will show the below message indicating the browser backup is different than the current content.
Clicking the link “Restore the backup” will restore the content from your browser’s local storage to the post editor.
Related: How to fix leverage browser caching issue in WordPress?
Changing WordPress Autosave Interval
Though autosave is a useful feature the frequency of saving may be a disturbing factor when you modify the content. In this case you can change the interval to ensure there is a sufficient time between two autosaves. In order to do this, add the following code in your “wp-config.php” file.
define( 'AUTOSAVE_INTERVAL', 180 );
This will define the autosave interval as 180 seconds, you can define your own interval by replacing 180 with any other number of seconds. You also can completely disable autosave feature by using WP-CMS Post Control plugin or disabling the autosave code as below:
- Use either “File Manager” or FTP and open “wp-admin” folder.
- Disable the below code by adding // in the front in “post.php” and “post-new.php” files.
// wp_enqueue_script('autosave');
This will disable the autosave function in any new posts and pages. The problem here is you need to update these files every time when you upgrade your WordPress installation version.
How to View WordPress Autosave?
If you are using Classic editor, first you need to select “Revisions” check box available under “Screen Options” in classic editor screen.
Note: You can view autosave only if there is an autosave available.
You can view your autosave and all revisions in the editor below your content under “Revisions” section.
If you are using Gutenberg editor, you will see the number of revisions. Go to “Status & visibility” section on the right sidebar under “Document” section. Click on the number of revisions if available to view the revisions and restore option. However, you will not see any autosave version in Gutenberg.
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