---
title: "Undo changes and restore an earlier version"
description: "Undo and redo edits in the PDF editor, understand the save status, and restore an earlier version of a document from Version history without losing anything."
url: https://help.pdfbetter.com/editing/undo-and-version-history/
collection: "Editing & annotating"
section: "Basics"
updated: 2026-10-18
publisher: "PDFBetter (AI Generated Inc.)"
---

# Undo changes and restore an earlier version

> Press `⌘/Ctrl` `Z` to undo and `⇧` `⌘/Ctrl` `Z` (or `Ctrl` `Y`) to redo. Your work saves automatically; to go further back, open **More** (⋯) → **Version history** and click **Restore** on any version. Restoring never erases the current state.

Do it in PDFBetter: https://pdfbetter.com/app/documents/

## Undo and redo

Use **Undo** and **Redo** in the toolbar or the shortcuts below. Undo covers everything you do in the editor, including deleting pages (the page comes back with everything you added to it) and **Replace all** in find & replace (one step). A whole drag or a burst of typing counts as one step. Undo history lasts until you reload the document.

| Action | Keys |
| --- | --- |
| Undo | `⌘/Ctrl` + `Z` |
| Redo | `⇧` + `⌘/Ctrl` + `Z` |
| Redo (Windows) | `Ctrl` + `Y` |

## Saving happens automatically

There is no Save button. The status next to the document name shows **Saved**, **Unsaved**, **Saving…**, **Offline — will retry** or **Changed elsewhere**. If you go offline, your changes are kept in the tab and saved when the connection returns. If the same document was changed in another tab or device, saving pauses and you choose **Reload latest** or **Keep my version**, so nothing is overwritten silently. If saving keeps failing, see [fixing saving problems](https://help.pdfbetter.com/troubleshooting/browser-support-saving-problems/).

## Restore an earlier version

1. **Open Version history**: Click **More** (⋯) at the top right of the editor and choose **Version history**. On wide screens there is also a history icon in the top bar.
2. **Find the version**: Versions are numbered (v1, v2 …) and labeled **Autosave** or **Checkpoint**, with the time. The one you're on says **Current**.
3. **Click Restore**: The document returns to that version. Your previous state is kept as a new version, so you can switch back the same way.

Autosaves made close together are combined into one version, so the list shows meaningful steps rather than every keystroke. Operations that change the file itself, such as OCR and applying redactions, always create their own version.

| Plan | Versions kept for |
| --- | --- |
| No account | 1 day (guest drafts are deleted sooner) |
| Free | 7 days |
| Pro | 90 days |
| Business | 365 days |

> **Note:** After you apply redactions, the version from before still exists in Version history. Keep that in mind before you share the document's history with anyone.

### I closed the tab. Is my work lost?

No. Changes are saved as you go. Open the document again from **Documents**. As a guest, the draft is kept only for a limited time ([how long](https://help.pdfbetter.com/privacy-security/how-long-files-are-kept/)); create a free account to keep it.

### Can I undo after reloading?

Not with Undo, because reloading clears it. Use **Version history** and restore the version from before the change.

## Related articles

- [Edit the existing text in a PDF](https://help.pdfbetter.com/editing/edit-existing-pdf-text.md): Switch the editor from Fill out to Edit PDF (or press E), click a line of the document's text and type. The new text is drawn over a cover patch in the closest standard font; the old characters stay in the file unless you redact them.
- [Download your edited PDF, fillable or flattened](https://help.pdfbetter.com/editing/download-edited-pdf.md): Click Done → Download, choose Keep fillable or Flatten, decide whether to Include comments and sticky notes, and click Download. Downloading needs a free account; Free includes 3 edited-document downloads a month, and Pro is unlimited.
- [Redact a PDF permanently](https://help.pdfbetter.com/editing/redact-pdf-permanently.md): Choose Redact (in the Cover group), drag over everything to remove, then click Apply redactions and confirm. Text, images and drawings under each mark are removed from the file, not just covered, and the affected pages become images.
- [How long PDFBetter keeps your files](https://help.pdfbetter.com/privacy-security/how-long-files-are-kept.md): Guest drafts are deleted 1 hour after they're created. Files uploaded only to run a tool are deleted after 24 hours. Documents in your account stay until you delete them, then they're erased 30 days later.
- [Supported browsers and fixing saving or loading problems](https://help.pdfbetter.com/troubleshooting/browser-support-saving-problems.md): Use a current version of Chrome, Safari, Edge or Firefox with JavaScript on. If the editor shows Offline — will retry, keep the tab open; it saves when you reconnect. Changed elsewhere means another tab edited the document: choose Reload latest or Keep my version.

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Source: https://help.pdfbetter.com/editing/undo-and-version-history/ · PDFBetter Help Center · Last checked against the product 2026-10-18. Questions: support@pdfbetter.com