Take a blog post or documentation article offline without deleting it, bring it back when it is ready, or recover an earlier saved version after an unwanted edit.
Unpublishing and restoring do different jobs. Moving an article to Draft removes its live version. Restoring a revision replaces the current draft with an earlier saved version; you still need to review and publish it. FAQs have separate visibility and publishing controls, explained below.
Choose the right action
| What you want to do | Action to use |
|---|---|
| Take a live blog post or doc offline temporarily | Move it to Draft from its library status menu. |
| Correct a small mistake while the article stays available | Edit it, Save draft, review, then Publish changes. |
| Recover text or settings from an earlier save | Open History and restore the chosen revision as the current draft. |
| Bring an unpublished article back | Open the existing draft, review the whole article, then Publish. |
| Cancel a future update but keep the current article live | Clear the publication schedule without unpublishing. |
| Remove an FAQ from the site FAQ list | Use the FAQ's visibility control; this does not make its answer private. |
If you are restoring a website page made with Page Builder, use Restoring an earlier page revision. Its save controls differ from the blog and docs editors.
Before changing a live article
Open Site → Blogs or Site → Docs and confirm the title and address. You need permission to edit and publish content. If controls are missing or disabled, see Why can’t I see or edit a feature?.
Before you continue:
- Preserve any unsaved writing. For a blog or doc, Save draft saves your work without replacing its published version. Keep a separate copy of any text you may need during recovery.
- Check whether someone else is editing the same article, and agree which version to keep.
- Note the public address and links from menus, other articles, buttons, or campaigns. Taking an article offline can leave those links pointing to a missing page.
- Check for a scheduled release. If you only want to cancel the next update, clear the schedule and keep the current live version. See Scheduling and updating blog posts.
For a routine correction, you can usually leave the existing article live while reviewing the fix. Take it offline when readers should no longer see the current information.
Take a blog post or doc offline
- Return to Site → Blogs or Site → Docs. Save any editor changes you want to keep before leaving.
- Find the article by its title or address. Set the Status filter to All states if necessary.
- Open the colored status control beside the article title.
- Choose Draft.
- Read the confirmation, checking the title and public address. Choose Move to draft when you are ready to remove that article from the live site.
- Wait for confirmation and check that the row now shows Draft.
- Open the normal public address in a private browser window, without a preview link. Confirm the article is no longer available to visitors.
The saved article and its revision history remain available for editing. Moving it to Draft also cancels its scheduled publication. It does not delete the article.
The old address will normally show a not-found page until you publish again, unless a redirect takes visitors elsewhere. Remove or update links you control. If another article replaces this one, arrange a redirect to that specific replacement; see Changing a page address without breaking links.
A private draft preview can still show the article to someone using its preview link. Search engines and previously downloaded copies may also retain older content. Unpublishing is not a way to recall copies that readers already received.
Bring an unpublished article back
- Open the same library and use Draft or All states to find the existing article. Do not create a duplicate just because its public address is unavailable.
- Choose its Edit action.
- Read the entire current draft. It may include saved changes that were never part of the old live article.
- Check the title, slug, body, images, links, SEO fields, and category or tags. For docs, check the intended sidebar placement too.
- Make any corrections, choose Save draft, and preview the saved version. If you edit again, save and check it again.
- Resolve any release message, then choose Publish when the complete article is ready.
- Open the normal public address and confirm the restored article, navigation, and links work for readers.
Publishing from the library status menu releases the latest saved draft. It does not automatically select the last version that used to be live. Use the editor first when you need to inspect or recover a specific version.
For the complete release checks, see Writing and publishing a blog post or Creating a documentation article.
Restore an earlier saved revision
Use this when a rewrite removed useful information, the wrong changes were saved, or you need an earlier version of the article. If only a sentence needs correction, a focused edit may be easier than restoring the whole revision.
- Preserve the current work you may need. Save the blog or doc as a draft, and copy any unfinished text somewhere safe.
- If publication is scheduled, clear that schedule while keeping any existing live version. Confirm the cancellation before restoring; restoring a revision does not cancel a scheduled release.
- Open the article's History tab. Identify the revision by its number, date, author, change note, and saved address.
- Check the address before restoring. If that revision uses an older slug or route, resolve the address and redirect plan first. Restoring an old address can affect public routing before the restored body is published.
- Choose the revision's Restore … As Current Draft action. For a doc, the button is Restore Docs Article As Current Draft.
- Return to Write and inspect the restored article. Check SEO and Taxonomy, and check docs navigation settings where relevant.
- Reapply any newer information you still need, such as corrected instructions, updated links, or a new contact address. Choose Save draft after making changes.
- Preview the complete result. Choose Publish changes if the article is still live, or Publish if it is offline, only when you want readers to receive this version.
Restoring recovers the saved revision as a whole: it can change the title, slug, body, summary, media references, search metadata, categories, tags, and docs settings. It does not merge the old text with your newer draft. Review all affected fields, not just the passage you wanted back.
The published body remains unchanged until you publish the restored draft. The address is the exception to check beforehand. If the article was already unpublished, restoring its draft does not put it back online.
History contains saved revisions, not every keystroke. Restoring an article also does not restore an image or download that was separately deleted from the media library.
Handle FAQs separately
Site → FAQs uses a question-and-answer form, not the blog and docs editor. Do not expect the same History tab or save-and-publish sequence.
Hide an answer from the FAQ list
Find the question in Site → FAQs and use its visibility control to hide it from the site FAQ list. Check the public list afterward. Use the same control to show it again when appropriate.
This changes list visibility only. A published hidden FAQ can still be available through other public content or used by the assistant. It also does not remove an answer copied into a manually written page block.
Unpublish or republish an FAQ
If the answer should no longer be published, ask an administrator or the site assistant to unpublish the exact existing FAQ. Include its full question and ask to retain it for later editing. For example:
Unpublish the FAQ “Do you offer weekend appointments?” Keep it as a draft; do not delete it. Confirm the resulting status and whether it is still shown on our public FAQ page.
Review other places that repeat the answer, including manually written page content. Do not use a visibility toggle as a privacy control.
To bring the FAQ back, inspect and correct the existing draft, then ask your administrator or assistant to publish that exact FAQ. Editing an unpublished FAQ keeps it unpublished. Creating a new FAQ and saving it publishes immediately; do not recreate one just to recover an old answer.
When you need an earlier FAQ answer and no revision controls are available in the FAQ form, ask your administrator to inspect the saved history before making changes. See Writing useful FAQs and publishing them for page placement and maintenance.
Check the result as a reader
After any publication change, use the normal public URL without a preview link. Check while signed out or with the type of customer account the content requires.
Confirm that:
- The intended article is offline, or the intended restored version is live.
- Its title, address, images, downloads, and main links are correct.
- Menus and related guides no longer send readers to a removed page.
- Docs appear in the correct sidebar section after republication.
- No unwanted publication schedule remains.
A successful publication does not remove site-wide access restrictions. If the article is published but visitors see a holding page or sign-in requirement, check Controlling when your site is public.
Troubleshooting
I cannot find the article after unpublishing
Use All states, clear unrelated search filters, and look in the original content library. An offline public address does not mean the saved article was deleted. Check with another editor before creating a replacement.
Restoring brought back the wrong version
Stop before publishing. Preserve any text you still need, return to History, and select the intended saved revision. Review the whole result again. If the incorrect version is already live, prepare and publish the corrected version, or take it offline while you fix it if readers should not see it.
The article still looks unchanged
A restored or edited draft is not automatically the published body. Check that you completed Publish or Publish changes, then refresh the normal public address. Confirm the site and slug; a saved preview and a public article can legitimately show different versions.
An image or download is missing after restoration
The revision may refer to a file that was removed or whose access changed. Restore or replace the media separately, update the article's reference, and check access as a reader. See Fixing blurry images, failed uploads, or missing media.
History is empty or fails to load
Use Load revision history or Retry revision history if offered. An error is not proof that no revisions exist. If the changes were never saved, look for recovered work when reopening the editor or use your retained copy. Avoid saving an empty replacement over content you are still trying to recover.
Cedros refuses to unpublish or release the article
Read the specific message. Permissions, content dependencies, an address conflict, or an unresolved review requirement may prevent the action. For example, a blog post used as a pillar can have dependent posts that need attention first. Resolve the stated dependency or ask your administrator; do not delete content or switch publishing controls to bypass it.
The item was deleted, not unpublished
Revision History in an existing article is different from recovering a deleted item. Stop creating replacements and ask your administrator or Cedros to check the available recovery history or backups. Provide the title, old address, and approximate deletion time. Recovery depends on what was retained; do not assume a deleted item can be restored from the article editor.