Overview
n8n Wizard maintains complete version history for all your workflows, giving you the ability to track changes, compare versions, and restore previous states. This ensures you never lose work and can experiment confidently knowing you can always revert to a working version.
Key Benefit: Every change you make is automatically saved as a new version, creating a complete audit trail of your workflow's evolution with the ability to restore any previous state instantly.
How Version History Works
n8n Wizard uses a robust database-backed versioning system that automatically saves every change to your workflows:
Automatic Version Creation
Every time you generate, modify, or update a workflow, a new version is automatically created and stored. You don't need to manually save versions - it happens automatically in the background.
Complete Workflow Snapshots
Each version contains the complete workflow JSON data, not just changes. This means you can restore any version and get the exact workflow state from that point in time.
Sequential Version Numbers
Versions are numbered sequentially (v1, v2, v3, etc.) within each workflow session, making it easy to track the progression of your workflow over time.
Rich Metadata Tracking
Each version includes detailed metadata like change type, description, timestamp, node count, node names, AI model used, and the prompt that created it.
What Information Is Stored
Each version records:
- •Version Number: Sequential number showing the order of changes (v1, v2, v3...)
- •Complete Workflow Data: Full n8n JSON including all nodes, connections, and settings
- •Change Type: What triggered this version (workflow created, node added, node removed, node modified, workflow updated)
- •Change Description: Human-readable explanation of what changed
- •Timestamp: Exact date and time the version was created
- •Node Information: Count and names of all nodes in the workflow
- •Original Prompt: The prompt or modification request that created this version
Viewing Version History
Access your workflow's version history through the Iterative Workflow Editor:
- 1.Open Your Workflow Session
Navigate to Workflow Sessions and select the session you want to view
- 2.Scroll to Version History Section
The version history panel is located at the bottom of the Iterative Workflow Editor
- 3.Review Version Details
Each version shows its number, change type (with color coding), timestamp, node count, model used, and change description
- 4.View Node Information
Each version displays the first 5 node names, with a "+X more" indicator for additional nodes
Version History Display Features:
- •Reverse Chronological Order: Newest versions appear first, making it easy to see recent changes
- •Color-Coded Change Types: Different colors help you quickly identify what type of change occurred (green for created, blue for added, red for removed, etc.)
- •Relative Timestamps: Shows "2 hours ago", "3 days ago" for easy understanding
- •Change Tags: Quick visual indicators showing the nature of each change
Restoring Previous Versions
If you want to revert to an earlier version of your workflow, restoration is simple:
- 1.Locate the Version
Find the version you want to restore in the version history list
- 2.Click Restore
Click the "Restore" button (circular arrow icon) next to the version you want
- 3.New Version Created
Restoring creates a NEW version with the note "Restored from version X" - your current work isn't lost, it's still in the history
- 4.Workflow Updated
The editor immediately updates to show the restored workflow, and it becomes the current version
Important: Restoration is non-destructive. When you restore a version, your current work is preserved as a version in the history. You can restore back to it if needed, so you never truly lose work.
Best Practices
Tips for Using Version History:
- •Before Major Changes: Review previous versions to understand what worked before making significant modifications
- •Export Working Versions: When you have a version that works perfectly, export the session for backup
- •Use Descriptive Session Names: Name sessions clearly so you can find specific workflows later (e.g., "Customer Onboarding Email Flow")
- •Clean Up Unnecessary Versions: Delete experimental or broken versions to keep history manageable
- •Compare Versions: Look at timestamps and change descriptions to understand the evolution of your workflow
- •Experiment Freely: Knowing you can restore previous versions, don't be afraid to try new approaches
Version Storage & Limits
Persistent Storage
All versions are stored in a secure database. Your versions are protected and only accessible to you.
Automatic Cleanup
To prevent unbounded storage growth, the system automatically keeps the last 50 versions per session. Older versions are automatically cleaned up, so export important workflows if you need longer history.
Session Management
Workflow sessions group all versions of a workflow together:
Session Features:
- •View All Sessions: Access the Session Manager to see all your workflow sessions
- •Edit Session Names: Click the edit icon to rename sessions for better organization
- •Last Updated Timestamp: See when each session was last modified
Remember: Version history is your safety net. It allows you to experiment confidently, recover from mistakes instantly, and understand how your workflows evolved over time. Never worry about losing work or breaking something - you can always go back.