Document Versions and Export

Every document keeps a short history of earlier versions, so you can look back at what it said before and bring an old version back. You can also export a document as a PDF, or delete it.

All of this is in the ⋮ menu at the top right of the document editor. Open a document from the Documents tab of the Create page. For the editor itself, see Writing Documents.

Quick start (5 minutes)

1. Open a document you’ve been editing for a while.
2. Click ⋮ at the top right, then Version History.
3. Click a version to open it.
4. Read it. The banner says Viewing version N (read-only).
5. To go back to it, click Apply This Version. To leave it, click the back link at the top left.

Example: a marketing manager rewrote the pricing section of a sales one-pager and preferred the old wording. They open Version History, pick the version from that morning, and click Apply This Version.

How versions are saved

You don’t save versions yourself. They’re saved for you while you edit:

• When your changes save, a new version is kept if the last one is at least 5 minutes old. So you get at most one version every 5 minutes.
• Each version is a copy of the whole document at that moment.
• The 8 most recent versions are kept. When a ninth is saved, the oldest one is removed.

A document you’ve only just created says “No saved versions yet. Versions are saved automatically as you edit.”

The title isn’t part of a version. Only the text and images are.

Viewing an earlier version

1. Click ⋮, then Version History.
2. The list shows the newest version first. Each one shows its date and time, and a paperclip with a number if it has images in it.
3. Click a version.

The version opens on its own page, read-only. You can scroll and read it, but not change it.

Pick versions by their date and time. That’s the easiest way to find “the one from before lunch”.

Bringing back an earlier version

1. Open the version from Version History.
2. Click Apply This Version, then Apply to confirm.
3. You’ll see “Applied version N”, and you’re taken back to the document.

The document’s text is replaced with the text from that version. The text you had just before is saved as a new version first, so you can switch back.

Example: you want the old intro but the new pricing table. Apply the older version, open the version saved just before it, copy the table, and paste it back in.

Exporting to PDF

1. Click ⋮, then Export to PDF. It shows Exporting… while it works.
2. The PDF downloads to your computer.

What’s in the PDF:

• The document title at the top, then the text, headings, lists, tables and images.
• Each video becomes a “▶ Video” box with a link to open it in a browser.
• The file name is the title in lower case with underscores, like spring_campaign_brief.pdf.

If an image can’t be loaded, the PDF shows “[Image could not be loaded]” in its place.

People you share the document with through a share link can export it to PDF too. See Sharing with Share Links.

Deleting a document

1. Click ⋮, then Delete.
2. The app asks “Are you sure you want to delete name?”.
3. Click Delete to confirm, or Cancel to keep it.

You’re taken back to the Documents tab. Deleting can’t be undone, and the document’s version history goes with it.

Ideas for using versions and export

Try a bold rewrite without worrying.

Let Orsa AI rewrite a whole brief. If the team prefers the original, open Version History and apply the version from before the rewrite.

Send a client a polished copy.

When a brand guidelines document is approved, click Export to PDF and attach the file to your email.

Keep a record before a big edit.

Before restructuring a long FAQ, click Export to PDF to keep a copy of how it looked. Version history only keeps the latest 8 versions.

Tips for the best results

• Export a PDF before major changes if you might need the old text weeks later. Only the 8 most recent versions are kept.
• Edit in longer sessions. Versions are saved at most every 5 minutes, so a quick fix right after a big edit may land in the same version.
• Applying a version saves the current text first. It becomes the newest entry in Version History.
• Rename before exporting. The PDF’s file name and heading come from the title.

Common questions

Version History is empty. No versions have been saved yet. They’re saved as you edit, at most every 5 minutes. Make some changes, wait for All changes saved, and check again later.

I can’t find an old version from last week. Only the 8 most recent versions are kept. Older ones are removed automatically.

Can I name a version? No. Versions are identified by their date and time.

Applying a version didn’t change the title. That’s expected. Versions keep the text and images, not the title. Rename the document in the top bar if needed.

I applied the wrong version. Open Version History again. The text you had before applying is the newest entry, so apply that one to undo.

My PDF has a “[Image could not be loaded]” box. That image couldn’t be downloaded while the PDF was being made. Check that the image still shows in the document, then export again.

Can I export to Word? Not today. Documents export to PDF only.

Can I get a deleted document back? No. Deleting can’t be undone, so the app always asks you to confirm.