Versions

Open Alasdair - Chapter II, then choose Version History in the document's top bar. Saved versions appear by date and time, with the newest first. Concepts have the same control.

Choose a version to compare it with the current document. Unified shows changes in one view; Side by Side puts the earlier and current text beside each other. Added and deleted text are marked so you can follow the revision.

Automatic minor versions give you checkpoints as you write. After the first snapshot, a save can create another when the word count has changed by at least 100 words or at least 30 minutes have passed since the last version. Identical content isn't saved again automatically. Small edits won't each have their own snapshot.

For a revision you want to keep deliberately, create a major version:

1. Open the segment or concept you want to preserve.
2. Open Version History.
3. Choose the + button, labelled Create major version.

Try this before changing Alasdair's walk through the city. Save a major version, then rewrite the scene with a different destination or a shorter opening. You can return to the earlier draft without keeping another segment in your outline.

Major versions carry a Major badge in the dated list. You might save one at the end of a first draft, before a structural rewrite, and after working through feedback. Each belongs to that individual document; finishing a whole manuscript revision means saving the relevant segments separately.

A saved version is useful when you want a checkpoint. If you want to keep editing two possible openings, give each its own segment:

1. Open the segment's actions in the project sidebar and choose Duplicate.
2. Rename the copy to something you can recognize, such as Alasdair - Alternate opening.
3. Open the two segments side by side and develop each as you like.

Each segment has its own version history. If you collect alternatives in a folder, you can exclude that folder from word count to keep them out of project totals. Choose separately which segments belong in your manuscript.

Choose an earlier version, read the comparison, then choose Restore if you want that text to become the current document. Writality first saves your current content as a major version, so you can return to it too.

Restoring replaces the document's text. It doesn't roll back the rest of the project, its relationships, or your manuscript selection. Read-only documents must be unlocked before restoring.

With your project selected, open Version History in settings. Under Minor Version Retention, choose unlimited history, the last 20, 50, or 100 minor versions, or a custom limit.

Unlimited is the default. For segments, a limit removes older minor versions as new minor versions are saved. Major versions are kept through that cleanup. You can still delete an individual saved version from its right-click menu; deleting it leaves the current document unchanged.

Versions live with your workspace data. Keep backups as well, so you have a recovery copy if the workspace itself is lost or damaged.