--- title: "How to use version control in Joomla 3" description: "In this tutorial: Joomla 3.0 Joomla 3.1 Joomla 3.2 Joomla 3.0 / Joomla 3.1 Version control was not introduced until Joomla 3.2. Joomla 3.2 A new feature in Joomla 3.2 is version control. This tool..." url: https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/edu/joomla/joomla-3/version-control/ date: 2013-12-12 modified: 2023-06-08 author: "Brad Markle" categories: ["Joomla", "Joomla 3"] tags: ["Joomla v3"] type: post lang: en --- # How to use version control in Joomla 3 ## In this tutorial: [Joomla 3.0](#3.0) [Joomla 3.1](#3.1) [Joomla 3.2](#3.2) ## Joomla 3.0 / Joomla 3.1 Version control was not introduced until [Joomla 3.2](#3.2). ## Joomla 3.2 A new feature in Joomla 3.2 is version control. This tool allows you to save previous versions of your articles, and also allows you to revert to any previous version at any time. In this tutorial, we will review how to use the new version control system. ## Article Revisions: [Save](#saving) [Preview](#previewing) [Restore](#restoring) [Compare](#comparing) [Keep](#keeping) [Settings](#settings) ### Getting started: Editing an article [![Joomla example article](/support/images/stories/edu/joomla-3/versions/getting-started-article-on-homepage.gif.png)](/support/images/stories/edu/joomla-3/versions/getting-started-article-on-homepage.gif.png) When you [install Joomla 3.2](/support/edu/joomla/joomla-3/install-joomla-3/), the version component is setup and enabled by default. In our testing, we installed Joomla 3.2 with the *[Default English (GB) Sample Data](/support/edu/joomla/joomla-3/joomla-sample-data-set/)*. As you can see to the right, our homepage shows the *Getting Started* article, and this is the article that we will be working with in this tutorial. The first thing we’re going to do is edit the *Getting Started* article. To do this, [log into your Joomla dashboard](/support/edu/joomla/joomla-3/how-to-log-in-to-administrative-dashboard/) >> **Content** >> **Article Manager** >> and then click on **Getting Started**. #### New article, no revision history yet [![No Version History shown](/support/images/stories/edu/joomla-3/versions/click-versions-no-versions-yet.gif.png)](/support/images/stories/edu/joomla-3/versions/click-versions-no-versions-yet.gif.png) In the top menu, you will see a button that says **Versions**. If you click it now, it will open the **Item Version History** window. It is blank at the moment, because we haven’t made any edits to the article just yet. #### Making our first edit [![Making first test edit](/support/images/stories/edu/joomla-3/versions/made-first-test-edit.gif.png)](/support/images/stories/edu/joomla-3/versions/made-first-test-edit.gif.png) In our testing, we added *first test* at the top of the article. In the right sidebar, under **Version Note**, we typed the following note to remind us of the changes we made: *Made a simple edit to the article, added “first test” to the top*. When we finished editing the article and typing a *Version Note*, we clicked **Save** in the top menu. For the sake of testing, we made another edit. We added *second test* at the top of the article, and saved it with a similar *Version Note*. ### How to view previous versions of an article [![Version History with 2 edits](/support/images/stories/edu/joomla-3/versions/item-version-history-showing-our-two-edits.gif.png)](/support/images/stories/edu/joomla-3/versions/item-version-history-showing-our-two-edits.gif.png) To view previous versions of an article, click the **Versions** button towards the top of the *Edit Article* page. The *Item Version History* page will show, and you will be able to see a listing of the previous versions of the article. [![How to preview previous edit](/support/images/stories/edu/joomla-3/versions/how-to-preview-previous-edit.gif.png)](/support/images/stories/edu/joomla-3/versions/how-to-preview-previous-edit.gif.png) To see what a specific version looked like, click on the version’s **Date**. Another window will open, showing you a rough version of the article. As you can see in the screenshot to right, we clicked on the *“first test”* edit we made, and the change can be seen in the *Intro text*. ### How to restore a previous version [![How to restore a previous version](/support/images/stories/edu/joomla-3/versions/click-the-restore-button.gif.png)](/support/images/stories/edu/joomla-3/versions/click-the-restore-button.gif.png) Restoring a previous version of an article is easy! On the **Item Version History** screen, after finding the version you want to restore, click the checkbox next to the article version and then click the **Restore** button. After the article restoration has completed, you’ll see a message similar to the following: *Prior version successfully restored. Saved on 2013-12-12 12:59:38 Made a simple edit to the article, added “first test” to the top..* ### How to compare different versions of an article Sometimes it may be hard to tell exactly what changes were made based upon the *Version Notes* that you enter. However, using the **Compare** feature, Joomla will show you a side by side comparison of two different versions of your article. [![How to compare different versions of an article](/support/images/stories/edu/joomla-3/versions/comparing-two-versions.gif.png)](/support/images/stories/edu/joomla-3/versions/comparing-two-versions.gif.png) To compare two versions: On the **Item Version History** screen, check two versions of your article and then click the **Compare** button. A new window will open showing side by side comparisons of the versions you chose. Under the **Changes** column, text added will be highlighted green and text removed will be highlighted red. ### How to limit the number of versions saved If you edit articles frequently, the number of different versions saved can grow quite large over time. This can make it difficult to find the version you’re looking for, for example, if you have 100 or so versions of the same article saved. #### Maximum Versions saved is 10 by default The default value for the maximum versions to save per article is 10. When you save an article and the max version save count has been reached, Joomla will delete the oldest revision to make room for the new one. You can easily change how many revisions are saved by adjusting the **Maximum Versions** setting. To do so: #### Changing the Maximum Versions saved setting In the top menu of your Joomla admin dashboard, click **Content** >> **Article Manager** >> **Options** *(at the top right of the page)*. Then, click the **Editing Layout** tab, change the **Maximum Versions** setting, and finally click **Save & Close**. ### How to prevent a previous version from being deleted If you don’t want a particular version of an article deleted when the *Maximum Versions* limit has been reached, you can lock the version to prevent it from being removed. To lock a version, on the **Item Version History** screen, simply click **No** under **Keep Forever**. This will change the value to **Yes**, and prevent the version from being removed.