Number of Posts Revisions controls how many versions of each post WordPress keeps in your database. Limit revisions to save database space, or keep unlimited revisions for full edit history.
What this feature does
Every time you save a post or page, WordPress automatically creates a new revision. This is helpful for undoing mistakes or comparing old versions, but over time these revisions can bloat your database. A single post can accumulate hundreds of revisions if you edit it frequently, taking up disk space and slowing down queries.
This setting lets you cap the number of revisions stored per post. You can choose to keep all revisions, disable revisions entirely, or set a specific limit (for example, keep only the 5 most recent versions). This applies only to new revisions going forward. Existing revisions are not automatically deleted when you change this setting.
If you have thousands of posts and each one has dozens of revisions, setting a limit can free up significant database space. However, if you rely on revision history for accountability or recovery, keep unlimited revisions. You can also manually clean up old revisions separately if you just want to trim existing data.
How to enable it
- Open AdminEase and navigate to Performance. Click AdminEase in the WordPress admin menu, then switch to the Performance tab.
- Choose your revision strategy. In the Post Revisions dropdown, select one of three options: "Keep every revision", "Don't keep any revisions", or "Insert number" for a custom limit.
- If you chose "Insert number", enter a limit. If you want to keep only 5 revisions per post, enter 5 in the field that appears. Any positive number works; WordPress will keep only that many old versions.
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Save settings.
AdminEase writes the constant to
wp-config.php. New revisions going forward will follow the limit. Existing revisions are not deleted automatically.
Settings reference
| Setting | What it does | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Post Revisions | Choose how to handle post revisions. Options: "Keep every revision" (unlimited), "Don't keep any revisions" (disable), or "Insert number" (specify a limit). Each choice writes a different value to the WP_POST_REVISIONS constant. | WordPress default (keep all) |
| Number of post revisions (child field) | If you selected "Insert number", enter the maximum number of revisions to keep per post (e.g., 3, 5, 10). WordPress will only keep this many old versions. Visible only when "Insert number" is selected. | (empty) |
What gets written to wp-config.php
AdminEase writes the WP_POST_REVISIONS constant to wp-config.php with one of three values:
define( 'WP_POST_REVISIONS', true ); // Keep every revision
define( 'WP_POST_REVISIONS', false ); // Don't keep any revisions
define( 'WP_POST_REVISIONS', 5 ); // Keep only 5 revisions per postWordPress reads this constant at startup and applies the revision limit to all new revisions. AdminEase preserves any other content in wp-config.php, so this change is safe alongside other configuration.
Troubleshooting
I set a revision limit, but old posts still have hundreds of revisions
The revision limit only applies to new revisions going forward. Existing revisions are not automatically deleted when you change this setting. If you want to clean up old revisions on existing posts, you'll need to manually delete them from the database or use a database cleanup plugin. The AdminEase setting prevents future buildup, but doesn't retroactively trim the past.
I disabled revisions entirely, but I still see old revisions in the editor
Disabling revisions stops new ones from being created, but doesn't delete existing ones. You'll still see old revisions in the post editor until you manually delete them. To clean up existing revisions, use a database cleanup plugin or run a SQL query to delete old revisions from the wp_posts table where post_type = 'revision'.
What revision limit should I use?
Most sites are fine with 3-10 revisions per post. If you have a fast-moving news site or collaborative blog where many editors work on the same posts, keep more (10-20). If you're tight on database space or don't need revision history, 2-3 is reasonable. Disabling revisions entirely (set to 0) saves the most space but removes the ability to undo changes, so only do that if you manage backups separately.
Will limiting revisions affect my backups?
No. Revisions are separate from backups. Your backup system backs up the current version of posts along with any old revisions you have. If you delete revisions to save space, future backups won't include those deleted revisions, but your backups of the current post content remain unaffected.