Figma version history: name a version and restore one

Quick answer

Version history is the timeline of one file. Name a version before a risky edit. To go back, open that version and restore it. Restoring makes that state current. It should not erase the later versions from the list, so check the panel again before you keep working. A branch is a different tool: parallel work that merges back. That workflow is in multiplayer etiquette. How far the timeline goes back depends on the plan. This guide does not quote a day count.

Who this is for

• Designers who overwrote a page and need the previous layout.
• Library owners about to publish a breaking change and want a named checkpoint first.
• Anyone sharing a file who needs to point at “the version we reviewed,” not whatever autosave did at 4pm.

If several people are editing, say so in the file before you restore. A restore changes what they are looking at.

Autosave and a named version

Figma saves as you work. Those saves show up in history. They are unlabeled, so “two hours ago” is a poor name for a client review.

Name a version when:

• You are about to restructure navigation, tokens, or a component set.
• A review just ended and this is the file people agreed to.
• You are about to publish a library. The publish itself is not a substitute for a name you can find. See team libraries.

Put the reason in the name, not the mood. Nav restructure, pre-change is useful. Cleanup is not.

Restore

1. Open version history from the file menu.
2. Select the version. You are previewing it, not editing the live file yet.
3. Restore only when you mean to make that preview the current file.
4. Open history again. Confirm the version you just left is still listed. If people were mid-edit, those edits are the version you left, not something the restore deleted from the list.

Do this on a quiet file. If the file is in a critique, wait until the call is over.

If you only need a copy and the live file should stay as it is, duplicate from that point in history instead of restoring over everyone else’s work. Park the duplicate. Do not keep two “real” files without a note about which one is current. Page names still have to say which file is the delivery file. That habit is in organizing a Figma file.

History is not a branch

	Version history	Branch
What it is	Timeline of this file	A parallel copy you merge back
Use it when	You need an earlier state of the same file	The edit would block other people for more than a short session
What you do not get	A second file people can edit beside you, unless you duplicate	A magic undo of the main file

Stay on history for “put it back.” Use a branch for “try a restructuring while main stays shippable.” The branch rules are already written. Do not open a branch just to peek at last Tuesday.

What to tell the team

• The version name and why you restored.
• Whether a library publish needs to be reverted too. Restoring the library file does not automatically roll back every file that already accepted the update.
• Which page is in scope again. A restore can bring back pages you had moved or deleted.

Common mistakes

• Restoring while other people have unsaved-looking work on screen. Their latest autosave should still be in the list, but they will not know that unless you say so.
• Treating an unlabeled autosave as the review version. Name it at the end of the review.
• Using history as the only backup of a file the company cannot lose. A named version plus a duplicate in a known project is the plain version of that backup. This is not a legal archive.

FAQ

Does restore delete newer work?

Open the history panel after the restore. The state you left should still be a version you can restore in turn. If you do not see it, stop and duplicate nothing else until you do.

Can I restore one page only?

History restores the file you are viewing, not a single frame you picked. If the mistake is one page, duplicate the file from the good version and copy that page across, or restore only when the rest of the file should go back too.

Where do comments go?

Comments sit on the file. A restore is not a comment thread. Record the decision in a comment if the next person needs to know why the file jumped. Figma’s comment habits are in the multiplayer guide. Product UI for comments inside an app you are designing is a different page: comments and mentions.

Next

History is for the design file you intend to keep. A workshop board is a different file. Continue with when to use FigJam. Setup guides live on Learn.