How to Find an Old Version of a Website
Paste the page's address into the Wayback Machine at web.archive.org and pick a date on the calendar. If it wasn't archived there, try archive.today. Google no longer shows cached pages, so those two archives are the main free sources. To keep a copy of a page yourself, use the Wayback Machine's Save Page Now.
Free methods, step by step
- Search the Wayback Machine. At web.archive.org, paste the full address into Enter a URL or words related to a site's home page and press Enter. A timeline shows the years that have captures. Pick a year, then a highlighted date on the calendar, then a time.
- Jump straight to a date. Type
web.archive.org/web/2019/example.com/pageinto the address bar to get the capture closest to that date.web.archive.org/web/201909*/example.comlists every capture from September 2019. The Internet Archive documents both formats. - Try the homepage or parent folder. If a deep link wasn't captured, open an archived homepage and follow its links. The archive often holds the pages one click away.
- Check archive.today. At archive.today (also reachable as archive.ph), search for existing snapshots of the URL. These are snapshots that people requested, so they sometimes cover pages the Wayback Machine missed.
- Start from Google if that's where you found it. Select the three dots next to a search result, open More about this page, and follow the link to previous versions on the Wayback Machine. The Internet Archive announced this link in September 2024. It doesn't appear for sites that have opted out.
- Search for quoted text. If you remember a distinctive sentence, search it in quotes. Other sites may have quoted or copied the old page.
- Save it now. If the page matters, paste its URL into the Wayback Machine's Save Page Now box and keep the archive link.
Example walkthrough
A company changed its refund policy
Illustrative example. The names, numbers and details are invented placeholders, not a real person or case.
You bought something under a 60-day refund policy, and the company's page now says 30 days. In the Wayback Machine you enter the policy page's URL and open a capture from the week you bought. It shows the 60-day wording. You save the archive link and quote it in your complaint. Before you do, you capture the current page with Save Page Now, so you have both versions on record.
What archives miss
Archives skip pages behind logins, many pages built with scripts, and sites that asked to be excluded. Images and styles may be missing from old captures. An archived copy shows what the crawler saw, which may differ from what a logged-in user saw.
For more archive tools, see our web archive search category.
Common dead ends, and why they fail
- Google's cache. Google retired cached links in 2024 and removed the
cache:operator. - Pages behind logins or paywalls. Crawlers usually can't see them, so captures show a login screen.
- Script-heavy pages. Content that loads with JavaScript may be missing or broken in old captures.
- Excluded sites. Some site owners ask the archive not to show their pages, so there's nothing to see even if it was crawled.
- Missing images and styles. An old capture may be all text. The words are still evidence of what the page said.
What if nothing works
- Ask the site owner for the old version, or for the date the change was made.
- Look for copies in your own email, browser history, downloads or screenshots, and in news coverage that quoted the page.
- For a legal dispute, a lawyer can ask the other side to produce its records. An archived copy may need supporting evidence, such as an affidavit from the archive, to be accepted.
What people search for on this topic
This topic has almost no modifiers: the suggestions are rephrasings (see, find, check, get, view, previous, older). That usually means the need is simple and well understood, and one clear answer satisfies it.
The question form mentions "the wayback machine" by name and one off-topic SharePoint variant. Our Wayback Machine profile and the new guide cover it.
Google's top suggestions for how to see old version of website (US, captured October 12, 2026):
- how to see old version of website
- how to find old version of website
- how to check old version of website
- how to see previous version of website
- how to get old version of website
Autocomplete shows what people commonly type, not how many. There are no search volumes here. The method and the full capture are on our search demand page.
FAQ
Does Google still have cached pages?
No. Google retired its cached-page links in 2024, so use the Wayback Machine or archive.today.
Why does the old page look broken?
Images, fonts or scripts weren't always captured with the text.
Can a site be removed from the Wayback Machine?
Site owners can ask the Internet Archive to exclude their site.
Is an archived page proof in court?
It can be used as evidence, but courts may want it authenticated. Ask a lawyer before you rely on it.
Can I jump to a specific date in the Wayback Machine?
Yes. Put the date in the address: web.archive.org/web/YYYYMMDD/ followed by the page's URL returns the capture closest to that date.
How do I see every capture of a page?
Type web.archive.org/web/*/ followed by the page's address. The Wayback Machine lists every capture it holds for that URL, and adding a date prefix with an asterisk, such as 201909*, limits the list to that period.
How is archive.today different from the Wayback Machine?
The Wayback Machine crawls the web automatically and also takes requests through Save Page Now. archive.today only holds snapshots that someone asked it to make, so it has fewer pages but sometimes catches ones the Wayback Machine missed.
Is there a way to save a page before it changes?
Use the Wayback Machine's Save Page Now box on web.archive.org, or archive.today's save option, and keep the link you're given.
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Facts checked October 12, 2026 against the official sources linked on this page. Laws and fees change; check the source before you rely on a detail.