---
title: "Content states and versions"
description: "What draft, published, previous version and archived mean for library content, how versions are created, and which actions each state offers."
sidebar:
  order: 3
area: library
feature: content
appPath: /library/home
lastVerified: 2026-10-22
version: "2026-10-16"
audience: admin
related:
  - library/content/publish-content
  - library/content/restore-a-previous-version
  - library/content/archive-content
---

A piece of content is one draft plus zero or more published versions. The draft is what you edit; a version is a snapshot taken at publish time; the published version is the one employees read.

## States

| State | How you know | What employees see | Actions |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| **Draft, never published** | **Draft autosaved** in the header; **History** is empty. | Nothing. Buttons to this content have no page to open. | **Publish**. **Discard** does nothing. |
| **Draft with changes** | **Draft autosaved** in the header; a dotted version in **History**. | The last published version. | **Publish** to make the draft live; **Discard** to return the draft to the published version. |
| **Published, no changes** | No status chip; **Publish** is inactive. | The current version. | Edit to start a new draft. |
| **Viewing previous version** | **Viewing previous version** in the header; title and body read-only. | Unchanged. | **Restore** to make this version live and copy it onto the draft. |
| **Archived** | **Unarchive** at the foot of **Details**; missing from the Content views and pickers. | Existing buttons still open the published version. | **Unarchive**. |

**Saving...** shows while any change is being written.

## How versions work

- **Publish** copies the draft's title, body and moment into a new version, records who published it, and marks the draft clean. The new version appears at the top of **Version History** at once.
- **Restore** does the reverse: it copies a chosen version's title and body onto the draft, marks the draft clean, and makes that version the published one. No new version is created.
- **Discard** is a restore of the version that is published at that moment.
- Versions are never deleted, and every version is listed in **Version History** with its time and publisher. The one marked with a dot is published; the one you have open reads **This version**.

## Who can do what

| Action | Role |
| --- | --- |
| Read content and versions | Everyone in the workspace |
| Create content and edit a draft | Everyone in the workspace |
| Publish, Restore, Discard | Admin |
| Add from Template | Admin |

## Related

- [Publish content](https://support.pynhq.com/library/content/publish-content/) for the publish and discard steps.
- [Restore a previous version](https://support.pynhq.com/library/content/restore-a-previous-version/) for rolling back.
- [Archive content](https://support.pynhq.com/library/content/archive-content/) for retiring a piece.