Reverts

A revert is an action in collaborative editing environments that restores a page to a previous revision, undoing all edits made since that point. Reverts are a common mechanism in wikis and version-controlled documents, and they preserve the page’s edit history rather than deleting content. A revert typically creates a new revision that mirrors the earlier state.

Types of revert include:

- Full revert: restoring the entire page to a chosen earlier revision, discarding all intervening changes.

- Partial revert: undoing only specific changes while leaving other edits intact, which may require additional editing to reintroduce acceptable updates.

- Rollback: a rapid undo of recent edits, often used to stop vandalism quickly, usually with a single action.

Process and tools: editors can compare revisions using diffs to see exactly what changed. In many wikis, reverts are accompanied by an edit summary (for example, “Reverted to revision X due to vandalism” or “rv: revert to previous version”). The page’s history log records each revert as a new revision and allows any user with appropriate permissions to inspect or restore earlier states.

Impact and governance: while reverts help correct vandalism or errors and maintain content quality, frequent or strategic reverts can lead to edit wars, where contributors repeatedly undo each other’s changes. Responsible norms include discussing scope on talk pages, applying page protections when necessary, and avoiding unnecessary reversion of constructive contributions.

Best practices: verify information against reliable sources, use clear and concise edit summaries, and prefer discussion and consensus over repetitive reversions. When disagreements arise, seek mediation or temporary protections and work toward a collaborative resolution.