MAC
How to go back to an earlier version of a document on a Mac
Real screenshot · MacBook Neo, macOS 27.0.1In short
In TextEdit, Pages, Preview and other Apple apps, choose File, Revert To, Browse All Versions. Pick the older version on the right and click Restore.
4 of 4 steps show a real screenshot from our MacBook Neo. Each step was checked against the maker's own instructions, linked at the end.
Steps
- 1
Browse All Versions opens
In the open document, choose File, Revert To, Browse All Versions. This view opens: the current version on the left, older ones on the right.
- 2
Step back to the version you want
Older versions stack up behind the right-hand window. The arrows beside it step through them; the date under it shows when each was saved (ours: Today at 14:00).
- 3
Click Restore
Restore is under the older version. Done, under the current one, closes the browser and changes nothing.
- 4
Check the document
Ours went back to the original second line; "Line four added later." was gone.
If you do not see this option
- No Revert To in the File menu? The app does not save versions; check its own history or a backup.
- Only one version? Versions come from saving. A document saved once has no older version; Time Machine backups can add more. Source: View and restore past versions of documents on Mac
If this does not work
- Restore did nothing? Make sure you picked a version on the right, not the current one on the left.
- Want to keep both? Apple says to hold Option and click Restore a Copy: the older version opens as a new document.
- The version you want is not there? Apple says versions are saved automatically every hour, or more often while you edit a lot, and also when you open, save, duplicate, lock, rename or revert a document. Changes made between two of those moments are not a separate version. A Time Machine backup may still have it.
- The File menu is not visible? In full screen the menu bar hides. Move the pointer to the top of the screen to show it, then choose File, Revert To.
- You restored the wrong version? Apple says a version is also saved when you revert a document. Open Browse All Versions again and step back to the version from just before you clicked Restore.
Good to know
Working from iCloud Drive? Keep iCloud Drive files downloaded so they open offline.
After Restore, the document shows the older content and you keep working from there. The newer content is not lost straight away, because reverting itself saves a version. If you want a fixed point to return to, choose File, Save now: Apple says that saves a version manually. Holding Option and choosing File, Save As lets you save under a different name, location or format.
About this guide
- Device
- Mac
- Shown on
- macOS 27.0.1 (MacBook Neo)
- App
- TextEdit
- Path
- TextEdit › File › Revert To › Browse All Versions
- Real screenshots
- 4 of 4 steps
- Checked
- October 2026
- Sources
- 1 official, linked below
Sources
Links checked October 2026. Menus and features can change with updates.Spotted a mistake? Menus change with updates, and we want every step to match your screen. Email us about this page or use the contact form. We read every report, and fixes are listed on What changed.
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