Using the History feature

The History feature lets you create and manage different versions of your project. You can view, download and compare project versions, previously deleted files can be restored, and content added by collaborators can be seen at a glance.

Update: A new version of History is being released

The History user interface (UI) has been redesigned but not yet released to all Overleaf users. For a short period of time, some users will continue with the old UI until the phased release is complete and the new UI becomes available to everyone.

An important UI change: History actions have a new home

The new UI does not add extra features, but there is one important design change: the History actions now have a new home, as shown in the following graphic:

Accessing History actions in the new UI

Within the new UI you need to use the menu icons located on each project version:

• To compare a range of versions, use the icons , or , located on the versions, to select the range you wish to compare.
• To label or download a particular version, use the three-dot menu which contains the options Label this version and Download this version.

Using the full History feature

Full Project History is a premium feature. Overleaf premium features are available to participants in Overleaf Commons, members of group subscriptions, and owners of individual subscriptions. For users on our free plan, the History panel will show edits made in the last 24 hours. If you need history from more than 24 hours ago, or if you’d like to test-drive the full History feature as well as other premium features, you can start a free trial here.

Only the project owner needs to be on a premium subscription in order for them and any collaborators to access the full history.

How to access a project’s history

Click on History, located above the preview panel, to access the History feature. You can then select:

• All history to view all available history versions.
• Labels to access the list of labels you have created.

How to return to editing mode

To exit the History mode and return to normal editing mode, just click on History again.

What happens to the history if you copy a project?

A copied project starts with a completely new, fresh history—the original project’s history is not copied to the new project.

How to label or download a version using the current (old) UI

Use the action buttons located above the editor:

How to label a project version in the current (old) UI

1. Switch to the All history view.
2. Select the version you wish to label.
3. Choose Label this version.
4. Type the desired label into the popup window and select Add label.

How to download a project version in the current (old) UI

1. Switch to the All history view (or the Labels view).
2. Select the version you want to download.
3. Choose Download this version.
4. A .zip file, containing your project files, is generated and downloaded to your device.

How to label or download a version using the new UI

1. Switch to the All history view.
2. Select the three-dot menu to access the actions Label this version and Download this version.

How to label a project version in the new UI

1. Switch to the All history view.
2. Select the three-dot menu on the version you wish to label.
3. Choose Label this version.
4. Type the desired label into the popup window and select Add label.

How to download a project version in the new UI

1. Switch to the All history view (or the Labels view).
2. Select the three-dot menu on the version you want to download.
3. Choose Download this version.
4. A .zip file, containing your project files, is generated and downloaded to your device.

How to compare versions

The process differs slightly according to which version of the UI you are using.

Using the current (old) UI

1. Select Compare to another version in the top bar of the History view to enable a viewing mode that adds selectors (fours horizontal dots) to the currently selected history slice.
2. Drag the handles to choose the beginning and end point to generate a “diff” between the selected history “slices” or labels.
3. The view will update to identify any changed files in the file list, and also highlight changes, colored by collaborator, in the source code for each changed file.

Using the new UI

The use of drag-handles to select a range of versions to compare has been replaced by icons , or which are located on the versions. Noting that project versions are listed in chronological order, with the newest at the top and older versions lower down the list, these icons perform the following actions:

• : compare up to this version
• : compare from this version
• : this icon appears for versions in the middle of the current comparison range. It provides a drop-down menu offering
  • Compare up to this version
  • Compare from this version

The following 45-second video demonstrates using the new UI to compare project versions.

How to recover deleted files

The History view lets you recover accidentally deleted files. Once again, the process differs slightly according to which version of the UI you are using.

Using the current (old) UI

1. In History view, click Compare to another version, and drag the handles to compare two versions before and after the file was deleted.
2. Select the deleted file from the list of project files (it will be crossed out).
3. Select Restore this deleted file.

Using the new UI

1. Switch to the All history view.
2. Select the project version in which the file was deleted.
3. Select the deleted file from the list of project files (it will be crossed out).
4. Select Restore file it to reinstate the file.
5. Overleaf restores the file and switches your project out of History mode and back to editing mode.