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{{Redirect|WP:REVERT|an introduction to reverting on Misplaced Pages|WP:Reverting}}{{Short description|Undoing an edit using the undo link}}
{{shortcut|WP:RV|WP:REV|WP:RVV|WP:REVERT|WP:UNDO}}
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'''Reverting''' means returning an article to an earlier version. More broadly, reverting may also refer to any action that reverses the actions of others.
{{Misplaced Pages how to|H:RV|WP:REVERT}}


On Misplaced Pages, '''reverting''' means ]ing or otherwise negating the effects of one or more edits, which typically results in the page (or a part of it) being restored to a previous version (in exact wording or in meaning). ''Partial reversion'' involves restoring one part of the page to a previous version, but leaving other contributions intact. ''Self-reversion'' is the act of reverting your own edits. Reverting does not always involve the use of the ] tool. Any method of editing that has the practical effect of returning some or all of the page to a previous version counts as a reversion.
Revert vandalism on sight, but ]. Edit warring is prohibited. ''See'' {{selfref|]|inline}}. Editors should ].


Reverting a contribution is sometimes appropriate. However, reverting good-faith actions of other editors can also be disruptive and may lead to the reverter being temporarily ] from editing. The ] (part of the ] policy) limits the number of times an editor can revert edits (including partial reversions) on a page.
==When to revert==
{{selfref|For further information, see: ]}}
Revert ] and other abusive edits upon sight but '''revert a good faith edit only as a last resort'''. A reversion can eliminate "good stuff," ], and spark an ]. So if you feel the edit is unsatisfactory, then try to improve it, if possible - ''reword rather than revert''. Similarly, if only part of an edit is problematic then consider modifying only that part instead of reverting the whole edit - '']''.


== Before reverting ==
{{anchors|STATUSQUO}}{{shortcut|WP:STATUSQUO}}''Don't revert to undo a good faith reversion of your change.'' If there is a dispute, the ] reigns until a ] is established to make a change. Instead of engaging in an ], propose your reverted change on the article's talk page or pursue other ].
{{anchor|BEFORE}}
Consider carefully before reverting, as it rejects the contributions of another editor, and all others' after the edit in question. Consider what you object to, and what the editor was attempting. Can you improve the edit, bringing progress, rather than reverting it? Can you ], or do you need to revert the whole thing? (The latter option is better executed through ].)


In the edit summary or on the talk page, succinctly explain why the change you are reverting was a bad idea or why reverting it is a better idea. In cases of blatant vandalism, uncontroversially disruptive changes or unexplained removals, the amount of explanation needed is minimal. But in the event of a content dispute, a convincing, politely-worded explanation gains much importance and avoids unnecessary disputes.
If you are unsure whether or not a revert is appropriate, then first propose the reversion on the article's ]. If there is reason to believe that the author of problematic material will not be induced to change it, editors sometimes choose to transfer the text in question to the talk page itself, thus not deleting it entirely.


==Explain reverts== ==Manual reverting==
There are several ways to revert edits. A reversion can be carried out manually by editing the page to delete wrongly added text or restore wrongly deleted text. You can do this by copying and pasting text from a past version.
{{shortcut|WP:REVEXP}}
It is particularly important to provide a ] and informative explanation when you perform a reversion. A reversion is a complete rejection of the work of another editor and if the reversion is not adequately supported then the reverted editor may find it difficult to ]. This is one of the most common causes of an ]. A substantive explanation also promotes ] by alerting the reverted editor to the problem with the original edit. The reverted editor may then be able to revise the edit to correct the identified problem. The result will be an improved article and a more knowledgeable editor.


You can also restore a past version of the page. To do this:
In addition to helping the reverted editor, providing information regarding the reversion will help other editors by letting them know whether - or not - they need to even view the reverted version, such as in the case of ]. Explaining reverts also helps users who check edit histories to determine the extent to which the information in the article is reliable or current.
# Click the '''View history''' tab at the top of the page to display the ].
# Click the '''time and date''' (e.g. '''00:00, 1 January 1970''') of the earlier version to which you want to revert. You will see a warning similar to:<br>"{{int:revision-info|00:00, 1 {{int:january}} 1970|] {{int:parentheses|] {{int:pipe-separator}} ]}}|1234567|1 {{int:january}} 1970|00:00|Example|&nbsp;<span class="comment">{{int:parentheses|Example summary}}</span>}}"
#* '''Important:''' In the case of ], there may be multiple consecutive vandal edits or they may be interspersed between constructive edits. Be sure not to revert constructive edits by simply choosing the last version before the vandalism occurred. In these cases, the vandalism should be removed manually, or in other words, the constructive edits separated from the offending revisions.
# Click the '''Edit''' tab as you normally would. Above the edit box, you will see a warning similar to:<br>''"You are editing an old revision of this page. If you publish it, any changes made since then will be removed. You may wish to edit the current revision instead."''
#* If editing requires a registered account, log in first, or go to the article's Talk page and ask a registered editor to take care of the matter.
#* Explain what you're doing in the ] field. Use complete words, not abbreviations. For example, "Reverting ".
# Preview the page, or review the changes.
# Publish changes by clicking the button.
#* In the Revision history, your revision will automatically be tagged with ''(]: {{int:Tag-mw-manual-revert}})''. Some MediaWiki extensions also pop up a text box saying "✅ The page has been restored."
#* Optional: Go to the Talk page and explain what you've done, and why.


==Undo==
If your reasons for reverting are too complex to explain in an ], leave a note on the article's Talk page. It is sometimes best to leave a note on the Talk page ''first'' and ''then'' revert, rather than the other way around; thus giving the other editor a chance to agree with you and revise their edit appropriately. Conversely, if another editor reverts your change without any apparent explanation, you may wish to wait a few minutes to see if they explain their actions on the article's or your user's talk page.
{{shortcut|WP:UNDO}}
{{redirect|WP:UNDO|the neutral point of view policy governing due and undue weight|WP:UNDUE}}
The MediaWiki software sometimes enables editors to easily revert (undo) a single edit from the history of a page, without simultaneously undoing all constructive changes that have been made since. To do this, view the ] or the ] for the edit, then click on "undo" next to the edit in question. The software will attempt to create an edit page with a version of the article in which the undesirable edit has been removed, but all later edits are retained. There is a default edit summary, but this can be modified before saving.


It is also possible to undo several consecutive edits, even if they conflict among themselves: view the "diff" to be removed (by selecting the earliest and most recent revisions in the history and clicking "compare selected revisions"), and click the "undo" link.
==How to revert==
===Manual method===
* Go to the top of the page in question, click on the "]" or "page history" (in some skins) tab; then, click on the "]" of the earlier version, to which you wish to revert.
* When that page displays, you will see a phrase similar to: "This is an old revision of this page, as edited by ***.*.***.*** (Talk) at 15:47, January 24, 2009. It may differ significantly from the current revision."
* Verify that you have selected the correct "old revision" version and click on the "]" tab, as you would normally do.
** '''Important:''' in the case of vandalism, take the time to make sure that you are reverting to the last version without the vandalism; there may be multiple consecutive vandal edits or they may be interspersed between the constructive edits.
* Above the edit box, you will see a warning similar to: "You are editing an old revision of this page. If you save it, any changes made since then will be removed."
* Ignore this warning and save the page. Be sure to add the word "revert" or the abbreviation "rv" and a brief explanation for the revert to the "]". It is possible to wikilink the usernames associated with the versions that you are reverting from and to.
** For example, when reverting vandalism by a user identified only by an ], an edit summary would be: <br><br>'''<code><nowiki>rv edits by ] to last version by ]</nowiki></code>'''<br><br>
** When the ] is known, an edit summary would be: <br><br>'''<code><nowiki>rv edits by ] to last version by ]</nowiki></code>'''<br><br>
:''Note: when reverting blatant vandalism, "rvv" normally suffices, as speed is more important than a full edit summary with usernames or IP addresses''.
* Click on the "history" tab again. A new line will have been added and you will be able to verify (by clicking on "last") that you undid the vandalism, plus all subsequent bona fide edits, if any. It is courteous to redo all the constructive edits that were undone, along with the edit(s) which you intended to revert. This should always be done, where it is reasonably possible.
* In a vandalism case, where sections of text were simply deleted and then subsequent edits were made by others, it may be easier for you to cut and paste those missing sections of text back in, than to revert and then re-do the edits.
* Check the contribution history of the user who vandalized the article. (Click on the IP address for anonymous users or the "contribs" for registered users.) If this user is vandalizing many articles, please report them to ] at Misplaced Pages or to the relevant administrators' noticeboard on other projects.


===User shortcuts=== ===Mobile===
* ] godmode-light.js script adds functionality similar to the admin ''rollback'' links described below. More info at ].
* The vandal edit can also be reverted using ] or ].


By default, undo functionality is not available in Misplaced Pages's mobile user interface. If advanced mode is enabled, undo is available from history pages (but not from diff pages). Undo is also available to mobile users with ] enabled. See {{Phab|T191706}} for further discussion.
===Reverting images===
In order to revert an image to a previous uploaded version, go to the image page and click on "File history". The File history section of the image displays the full history of edits to the image alongwith a thumbnail of each version. Logged-in users can see a "revert" link for every version other than the current version. Clicking on a version's revert link makes that version the current version.


==Undo== ==Rollback==
{{shortcut|WP:UNDO}}
The MediaWiki software allow editors to easily shit (or "fart") a single edit from the history of a page, without simultaneously undoing all constructive changes that have been made since. To do this, view the ] for the edit, then click on 'undo' above the newer version. The software will attempt to create an edit page with a version of the article in which the undesirable edit has been removed, but all later edits are retained. There is a default edit summary, but it can be replaced with nonsense. It is also possible to make further modifications before saving.

This feature removes the need to manually redo useful changes that were made after the edit which is being reverted. However, it will fail if undoing the edit would delete really cool vandalism. For example, if edit 1000 adds a paragraph and edit 1005 modifies that paragraph, it will be impossible to automatically undo edit 1000. In this case, you must determine how to resolve the problem manually.


{{seealso|Misplaced Pages:Rollback}}
===Fun===
Vandals may click "undo" next to reversions of vandalism to easily load the vandalism back onto the page. These actions are fun. My dick.


] and editors who have been granted access to the rollback feature have additional links that:
==Advanced features==
===Rollback===
] and other editors who have been granted access to the ] have additional links which:
* appear only next to the top edit * appear only next to the top edit
* revert ''all'' top consequent edits made by last editor * revert ''all'' top consecutive edits made by the last editor
* work immediately, without the intermediate confirmation diff page * work immediately, without the intermediate confirmation diff page
* add automatic ] "'''m''' Reverted edits by ] (]) to last version by Example2", marking edit as minor * add automatic ] ''<span class="comment">{{int:revertpage|Helpful contributor|Vandal}}</span>'', marking edit as ]


Rollback links appear on the ] pages, ] and ]. Note that in the last case, rollback links can be misleading, since reversion is not necessarily to the old version shown (the diff page may show the combined result of edits, including some by other editors or only part of the edits the rollback button would revert). To see the changes the rollback button will revert, view the specific diff, which compares the last version from the last editor with the last version from the previous editor. Rollback links appear on the ] pages, ], ], ] and ]. Note that in the last case, rollback links can be misleading, since reversion is not necessarily to the old version shown (the diff page may show the combined result of edits, including some by other editors or only part of the edits the rollback button would revert). To see the changes the rollback button will revert, view the specific diff that compares the last version from the last editor with the last version from the previous editor.


The rollback link looks similar to this:
Rollback works much quicker than undo, since it:
* allows reverting without even looking at the list of revisions or diff
* does not require loading an edit page and sending the wikitext back to the server
* does not require a click of the save button


]]
On the other hand, it is not as versatile as undo, since it does not allow specification of which edits have to be undone. One may want to revert more or less edits than the rollback does or edits which do not include the last edit. It also does not allow adding an explanation to the automatic edit summary. Rollback is supposed to be used to revert obvious vandalism.


Rollback works much more quickly than undo, since it:
Rolling back a good-faith edit, without explanation, may be misinterpreted as "I think your edit was no better than vandalism and reverting it doesn't need an explanation". Some editors are sensitive to such perceived slights; if you use the rollback feature other than for vandalism (for example, because undo is impractical due to the large page size), it is courteous to leave an explanation on the article's talk page or on the talk page of the user, whose edit(s) you have reverted.
* allows reverting without even looking at the list of revisions or diff
* does not require loading an edit page and sending the wikitext back to the server
* does not require a click of the Publish changes button

On the other hand, it is not as versatile as undo, since it does not allow specification of which edits have to be undone. One may want to revert more or fewer edits than the rollback does, or edits that do not include the last edit. It also does not allow adding an explanation to the automatic edit summary without external scripts. Rollback without an edit summary should only be used in ]; most commonly to revert ]. Rolling back a good-faith edit or even during an ] may be interpreted as "I think your edit was no better than vandalism, and reverting it doesn't need an explanation". The rollback right can be revoked on misuse: refer to ].


If someone else edited or rolled back the page before you clicked the "rollback" link, or if there was no previous editor, you will get an error message. If someone else edited or rolled back the page before you clicked the "rollback" link, or if there was no previous editor, you will get an error message.


===Bot rollback=== ===Twinkle===
In cases of flood vandalism, administrators may choose to hide vandalism from ]. To do this, add <tt>&bot=1</tt> to the end of the url, used to access a user's contributions. For example: <nowiki>http://en.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Special:Contributions&target=SomePersistentVandal&bot=1</nowiki>.


The ] gadget provides similar functionality. It displays three links when viewing the latest ] of a page:
When the rollback links on the contributions list are clicked, the revert and the original edit, that you are reverting will both be hidden from recent changes, unless you click the "bots" link to set <tt>hidebots=0</tt>. The edits are not hidden from contributions lists, page histories or watchlists. The edits remain in the database and are not removed, but they no longer flood "Recent changes". The aim of this feature is to reduce the annoyance factor of a flood vandal, with relatively little effort. This should ''not'' be used for reverting a change you just don't like, but is meant only for massive floods of simple vandalism.
*"rollback (])" (in green) is used to revert good-faith edits, so an edit summary is required.
*"rollback" (in blue) allows providing an edit summary without describing the edits as "good faith".
*"vandalism" (in red), which should only be used to revert obvious vandalism, since it does not allow providing an edit summary.


===Bot rollback===
==Revert wars are considered harmful==
In cases of flood vandalism (rapid changes to many articles), administrators and ] may choose to hide vandalism and reverts from ]. To do this, add <kbd>&bot=1</kbd> to the end of the URL used to access a user's contributions. For example: http://en.wikipedia.org/search/?title=Special:Contributions&target=SomePersistentVandal&bot=1.
===Reasons===
] are usually considered harmful, for the following reasons:
# They cause ill-will between users, negatively destabilize articles and make other editors wary of contributing.
# They waste space in the database, make the ] less useful and flood the recent changes and watchlists.
# Some editors may be sensitive and to them, a revert is "a bit like a slap in the face"; for example: "I worked hard on those edits and someone just rolled it all back".
# They often produce inconsistencies in an article's content, because the editors involved focus only on one part of the article without considering other sections or articles that depend on it.


When the rollback links on the contributions list are clicked, the revert and the original edit that you are reverting will both be hidden from recent changes, unless you click the "bots" link in the Recent Changes to set <kbd>hidebots=0</kbd>. The edits are not hidden from contributions lists, page histories or watchlists. The edits remain in the database and are not removed, but they no longer flood "Recent changes". The aim of this feature is to reduce the annoyance factor of a flood vandal, with relatively little effort. This should '''not''' be used for reverting a change you just don't like, but is meant only for massive floods of simple vandalism.
====Resolutions====
Editors should not revert simply because of disagreement. Instead, explore alternative methods, such as raising objections on a talk page or following the processes in ].


===Three-revert rule=== ==Reverting images==
To revert an image to a previous version, go to the image page and click on "File history."
{{selfref|For further information, see the: ]}}
As a means to limit ]s, ] state that one may not revert any article more than three times in the same 24-hour period. This is a hard limit, not a given right. Attempts to circumvent the ], such as making a fourth revert just after 24 hours, are strongly discouraged and may trigger the need for remedies, such as an ] on one's account.


You will then see a list of past edits and a thumbnail graphic of each. Logged-in users will also see a "Revert" link for versions other than the current one. Click on a Revert link to make the change.
===Exceptions===
{{selfref|For further information, see: ]}}
Edits that do not contribute to ]ring, are generally considered to be exceptions to the three-revert rule, such as reverts of obvious vandalism, reverts of banned users or removal of potentially libelous text.


If the image is at ] you must click through to the image page there to do the revert. Then scroll down to the thumbnails. Beside the thumbnail you wish there will be the word "Revert". You will need to be logged in at Commons.
Please ] rather than reverting. Violation of this rule may lead to protection of the page on the version preferred by the non-violating party, blocking or investigation by the ].


==Reverting multiple non-contiguous edits==
==Misplaced Pages-specific help==
Ultimately, it is the responsibility of the person reverting edits on the page to be sure that any intervening helpful edits are not reverted, or unhelpful edits re-applied to the article.
{{meta|Help:Reverting}}
In Misplaced Pages, it is recommended to link to the "Special:Contributions" page, instead of the "user page" (which may not yet exist), of a user that can only be identified by their ]. It has also become more common to not link to the second user name, which would be that of the editor of the version that one is reverting to.


In some instances, it is possible to progressively undo changes starting from the most recent and working backward in time, skipping those edits which are not to be reverted. The success of being able to do this will depend on where the various edits are located within the article text. If they overlap or are close together within the text, the software will consider them to be conflicting with more recent edits and not permit an "undo" operation. In some cases, it is easier to begin with this technique as it may revert at least some of the unhelpful edits, providing a point from which it is easier to begin hand editing.
:For example, a rendering of the edit summary would be:
<center>''rv edits by {{color|blue|000.000.00.00}} to last version by User Name''</center>
:or for reverting vandalism: <br>
<center>''rvv edits by {{color|blue|000.000.00.00}} to last version by User Name''</center><br>


When considering reverting multiple edits, one should examine all the intervening edits. These are often a mix of both helpful and unhelpful edits. The goal is to remove the effect of the unhelpful edits and leave the helpful ones. This can be done either by undoing the unhelpful edits or reverting to a version of the page prior to the beginning of the unhelpful edits and re-applying, by hand, the helpful edits. To re-apply helpful edits, or revert unhelpful edits, it is usually easier to copy-and-paste portions of a version of the article which contains, or does not contain those edits. In complex situations, this may result in combining portions of text from multiple versions of the article. The choice of starting this process from the current version as your base text, or using a prior version as your base will depend on the relative extent and localization within the article text of the changes which are to be kept and those to be reverted. It is usually easier to have the by-hand operation be on localized areas of text, rather than those changes spread throughout an article. This can be a long (hours) and complex process. It can be quite helpful to use the "Show changes" button in the edit window to compare the current diff against a diff, in a different tab or window, of the changes which you are attempting to remove or re-apply.
:Examples of the codes typed into the edit summary would be:
'''<code><center><nowiki>rv edits by ] to last version by <username>. </nowiki></center></code>'''<br>
:or for reverting vandalism: <br>
'''<code><center><nowiki>rvv edits by ] to last version by <username>.</nowiki></center></code>'''<br>


If you are re-applying edits by other editors, you should state the original author(s) and which edit(s) in your edit summary to provide appropriate credit. If you are reverting to a prior version with the intent of re-applying changes in follow-up edits, you should explicitly say so in the edit summary of your reversion and use the {{tl|in use}} template to indicate to other editors that you are working on the article. This is particularly important because the editors responsible for any edits which you have reverted will immediately be notified that their edit has been reverted. If there is no indication that you are working on the article, particularly if you are working to re-apply helpful edits, the other editors may edit the article in the intervening time, creating an edit conflict. Having an edit reverted can be upsetting to other editors, particularly if considerable time and effort were put into performing the edit. If you are planning to re-apply such edits, it is best to let the editors know that up-front.
Instead of using abbreviations, one may prefer to use the following:
:for reverting:
''<center>Reverted edits by {{color|blue|000.000.00.00}} to last version by User Name</center>''
:or for reverting vandalism:
''<center>Reverted vandalism edits by {{color|blue|000.000.00.00}} to last version by User Name</center>''<br>
''<center>Reverted edits by {{color|blue|000.000.00.00}} to last version by User Name; vandalism</center>''<br>
''<center>Reverted edits by {{color|blue|000.000.00.00}} to last version by User Name; rvv</center>''


The choice of method to use in complex situations is often based on your experience with the process and the available tools. Keep in mind that if you get into a situation which you find difficult to resolve, it is always possible to completely revert your own edit(s) and return the article to the condition in which you found it before the edit.
]
]


==See also==
]
* ] – List of tools that can be used to make reverts
]
* ] (policy)
]
* ]
]
* ] (essay)
]
* ] (essay)
* ] (essay)
* ] (essay)
* {{section link|Misplaced Pages:Vandalism|Template and CSS vandalism}} (policy) – if the edits don't appear in the page's edit history, or the history and edit tabs are obscured
* ] – overview of types of reverting actions and revert detection methods for analysis purposes


{{Misplaced Pages technical help|collapsed}}
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Latest revision as of 22:02, 27 November 2024

"WP:REVERT" redirects here. For an introduction to reverting on Misplaced Pages, see WP:Reverting.Undoing an edit using the undo link

This help page is a how-to guide.
It explains concepts or processes used by the Misplaced Pages community. It is not one of Misplaced Pages's policies or guidelines, and may reflect varying levels of consensus.		Shortcuts

On Misplaced Pages, reverting means undoing or otherwise negating the effects of one or more edits, which typically results in the page (or a part of it) being restored to a previous version (in exact wording or in meaning). Partial reversion involves restoring one part of the page to a previous version, but leaving other contributions intact. Self-reversion is the act of reverting your own edits. Reverting does not always involve the use of the undo tool. Any method of editing that has the practical effect of returning some or all of the page to a previous version counts as a reversion.

Reverting a contribution is sometimes appropriate. However, reverting good-faith actions of other editors can also be disruptive and may lead to the reverter being temporarily blocked from editing. The three-revert rule (part of the edit warring policy) limits the number of times an editor can revert edits (including partial reversions) on a page.

Before reverting

Consider carefully before reverting, as it rejects the contributions of another editor, and all others' after the edit in question. Consider what you object to, and what the editor was attempting. Can you improve the edit, bringing progress, rather than reverting it? Can you revert only part of the edit, or do you need to revert the whole thing? (The latter option is better executed through an undo action.)

In the edit summary or on the talk page, succinctly explain why the change you are reverting was a bad idea or why reverting it is a better idea. In cases of blatant vandalism, uncontroversially disruptive changes or unexplained removals, the amount of explanation needed is minimal. But in the event of a content dispute, a convincing, politely-worded explanation gains much importance and avoids unnecessary disputes.

Manual reverting

There are several ways to revert edits. A reversion can be carried out manually by editing the page to delete wrongly added text or restore wrongly deleted text. You can do this by copying and pasting text from a past version.

You can also restore a past version of the page. To do this:

  1. Click the View history tab at the top of the page to display the page history.
  2. Click the time and date (e.g. 00:00, 1 January 1970) of the earlier version to which you want to revert. You will see a warning similar to:
    "This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Example (talk | contribs) at 00:00, 1 January 1970 (Example summary). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.Revision as of 00:00, 1 January 1970 by Example (talk | contribs) (Example summary)"
    • Important: In the case of vandalism, there may be multiple consecutive vandal edits or they may be interspersed between constructive edits. Be sure not to revert constructive edits by simply choosing the last version before the vandalism occurred. In these cases, the vandalism should be removed manually, or in other words, the constructive edits separated from the offending revisions.
  3. Click the Edit tab as you normally would. Above the edit box, you will see a warning similar to:
    "You are editing an old revision of this page. If you publish it, any changes made since then will be removed. You may wish to edit the current revision instead."
    • If editing requires a registered account, log in first, or go to the article's Talk page and ask a registered editor to take care of the matter.
    • Explain what you're doing in the edit summary field. Use complete words, not abbreviations. For example, "Reverting ".
  4. Preview the page, or review the changes.
  5. Publish changes by clicking the button.
    • In the Revision history, your revision will automatically be tagged with (Tag: Manual revert). Some MediaWiki extensions also pop up a text box saying "✅ The page has been restored."
    • Optional: Go to the Talk page and explain what you've done, and why.

Undo

Shortcut "WP:UNDO" redirects here. For the neutral point of view policy governing due and undue weight, see WP:UNDUE.

The MediaWiki software sometimes enables editors to easily revert (undo) a single edit from the history of a page, without simultaneously undoing all constructive changes that have been made since. To do this, view the page history or the diff for the edit, then click on "undo" next to the edit in question. The software will attempt to create an edit page with a version of the article in which the undesirable edit has been removed, but all later edits are retained. There is a default edit summary, but this can be modified before saving.

It is also possible to undo several consecutive edits, even if they conflict among themselves: view the "diff" to be removed (by selecting the earliest and most recent revisions in the history and clicking "compare selected revisions"), and click the "undo" link.

Mobile

By default, undo functionality is not available in Misplaced Pages's mobile user interface. If advanced mode is enabled, undo is available from history pages (but not from diff pages). Undo is also available to mobile users with desktop view enabled. See T191706 for further discussion.

Rollback

See also: Misplaced Pages:Rollback

Administrators and editors who have been granted access to the rollback feature have additional links that:

  • appear only next to the top edit
  • revert all top consecutive edits made by the last editor
  • work immediately, without the intermediate confirmation diff page
  • add automatic edit summary Reverted edits by Vandal (talk) to last version by Helpful contributor, marking edit as minor

Rollback links appear on the user contributions pages, user watchlists, recent changes pages, history pages and diff pages. Note that in the last case, rollback links can be misleading, since reversion is not necessarily to the old version shown (the diff page may show the combined result of edits, including some by other editors or only part of the edits the rollback button would revert). To see the changes the rollback button will revert, view the specific diff that compares the last version from the last editor with the last version from the previous editor.

The rollback link looks similar to this:

Rollback works much more quickly than undo, since it:

  • allows reverting without even looking at the list of revisions or diff
  • does not require loading an edit page and sending the wikitext back to the server
  • does not require a click of the Publish changes button

On the other hand, it is not as versatile as undo, since it does not allow specification of which edits have to be undone. One may want to revert more or fewer edits than the rollback does, or edits that do not include the last edit. It also does not allow adding an explanation to the automatic edit summary without external scripts. Rollback without an edit summary should only be used in certain circumstances; most commonly to revert obvious vandalism. Rolling back a good-faith edit or even during an edit war may be interpreted as "I think your edit was no better than vandalism, and reverting it doesn't need an explanation". The rollback right can be revoked on misuse: refer to its main page.

If someone else edited or rolled back the page before you clicked the "rollback" link, or if there was no previous editor, you will get an error message.

Twinkle

The Twinkle gadget provides similar functionality. It displays three links when viewing the latest diff of a page:

  • "rollback (AGF)" (in green) is used to revert good-faith edits, so an edit summary is required.
  • "rollback" (in blue) allows providing an edit summary without describing the edits as "good faith".
  • "vandalism" (in red), which should only be used to revert obvious vandalism, since it does not allow providing an edit summary.

Bot rollback

In cases of flood vandalism (rapid changes to many articles), administrators and global rollbackers may choose to hide vandalism and reverts from recent changes. To do this, add &bot=1 to the end of the URL used to access a user's contributions. For example: http://en.wikipedia.org/search/?title=Special:Contributions&target=SomePersistentVandal&bot=1.

When the rollback links on the contributions list are clicked, the revert and the original edit that you are reverting will both be hidden from recent changes, unless you click the "bots" link in the Recent Changes to set hidebots=0. The edits are not hidden from contributions lists, page histories or watchlists. The edits remain in the database and are not removed, but they no longer flood "Recent changes". The aim of this feature is to reduce the annoyance factor of a flood vandal, with relatively little effort. This should not be used for reverting a change you just don't like, but is meant only for massive floods of simple vandalism.

Reverting images

To revert an image to a previous version, go to the image page and click on "File history."

You will then see a list of past edits and a thumbnail graphic of each. Logged-in users will also see a "Revert" link for versions other than the current one. Click on a Revert link to make the change.

If the image is at Wikimedia Commons you must click through to the image page there to do the revert. Then scroll down to the thumbnails. Beside the thumbnail you wish there will be the word "Revert". You will need to be logged in at Commons.

Reverting multiple non-contiguous edits

Ultimately, it is the responsibility of the person reverting edits on the page to be sure that any intervening helpful edits are not reverted, or unhelpful edits re-applied to the article.

In some instances, it is possible to progressively undo changes starting from the most recent and working backward in time, skipping those edits which are not to be reverted. The success of being able to do this will depend on where the various edits are located within the article text. If they overlap or are close together within the text, the software will consider them to be conflicting with more recent edits and not permit an "undo" operation. In some cases, it is easier to begin with this technique as it may revert at least some of the unhelpful edits, providing a point from which it is easier to begin hand editing.

When considering reverting multiple edits, one should examine all the intervening edits. These are often a mix of both helpful and unhelpful edits. The goal is to remove the effect of the unhelpful edits and leave the helpful ones. This can be done either by undoing the unhelpful edits or reverting to a version of the page prior to the beginning of the unhelpful edits and re-applying, by hand, the helpful edits. To re-apply helpful edits, or revert unhelpful edits, it is usually easier to copy-and-paste portions of a version of the article which contains, or does not contain those edits. In complex situations, this may result in combining portions of text from multiple versions of the article. The choice of starting this process from the current version as your base text, or using a prior version as your base will depend on the relative extent and localization within the article text of the changes which are to be kept and those to be reverted. It is usually easier to have the by-hand operation be on localized areas of text, rather than those changes spread throughout an article. This can be a long (hours) and complex process. It can be quite helpful to use the "Show changes" button in the edit window to compare the current diff against a diff, in a different tab or window, of the changes which you are attempting to remove or re-apply.

If you are re-applying edits by other editors, you should state the original author(s) and which edit(s) in your edit summary to provide appropriate credit. If you are reverting to a prior version with the intent of re-applying changes in follow-up edits, you should explicitly say so in the edit summary of your reversion and use the {{in use}} template to indicate to other editors that you are working on the article. This is particularly important because the editors responsible for any edits which you have reverted will immediately be notified that their edit has been reverted. If there is no indication that you are working on the article, particularly if you are working to re-apply helpful edits, the other editors may edit the article in the intervening time, creating an edit conflict. Having an edit reverted can be upsetting to other editors, particularly if considerable time and effort were put into performing the edit. If you are planning to re-apply such edits, it is best to let the editors know that up-front.

The choice of method to use in complex situations is often based on your experience with the process and the available tools. Keep in mind that if you get into a situation which you find difficult to resolve, it is always possible to completely revert your own edit(s) and return the article to the condition in which you found it before the edit.

See also

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