Accidentally deleting a page is one of the most common WordPress mistakes. The good news? You can recover a deleted page in WordPress in most cases. WordPress keeps deleted pages in the Trash for 30 days. If the Trash is empty, a backup created with UpdraftPlus can bring your content back. And if you never set up backups, the Wayback Machine may still store a copy of your page. Recovering content matters as much as protecting your WordPress files from unwanted access in the first place.
Below, you will learn how to recover a deleted page in WordPress using three methods. They run from the fastest fix to the last resort. Each method matches a different situation. Check which one applies to you and follow the steps. You can also watch the full process in the video below.
🗑️ How Do You Restore a Deleted Page from the WordPress Trash?
The WordPress Trash is the first place to look for a deleted page. WordPress does not erase pages right away. Instead, it moves them to the Trash and stores them there for 30 days. During that window, you can restore any page with a couple of clicks.
In your admin dashboard, go to Pages, then All Pages. Click the Trash tab at the top of the list. Every page deleted in the last 30 days appears here. Hover over the page you want back and click Restore. Then go back to All Pages and find your restored page.
Need to recover several pages at once? Select them all in the Trash tab. Then choose Restore in the Bulk actions drop-down list. All selected pages return to your page list together.
Why Do Restored Pages Come Back as Drafts?
Restored pages come back as drafts, not as published pages. WordPress does this to prevent old content from going live by accident. That means your page will not appear on your site right after you restore it.
To fix this, open each restored page and click Publish. The page then goes live again at its original address. If a page is not in the Trash, or more than 30 days have passed, move to the next method.
🔄 How Can You Recover a Deleted Page in WordPress with UpdraftPlus?
A backup is the most reliable way to recover a deleted page in WordPress after the Trash is empty. This method only applies if you were already using UpdraftPlus and created a backup before deleting the page. The plugin works like a time machine. It saves a complete copy of your site so you can rewind to it later. But it can only rewind to a copy that already exists.
What Do You Need Before Restoring a Backup?
You need at least one UpdraftPlus backup created while your page was still published. Backups from other plugins will not work here. Each backup tool uses its own file format, and UpdraftPlus only restores its own. If you never set up backups, skip to the Wayback Machine method below.
How Do You Restore the Backup Step by Step?
Go to Settings, then UpdraftPlus Backups in your dashboard. Scroll down to the Existing backups section and click Restore. In the following window, select all available backup files. That includes plugins, databases, themes and others. Click Next, then click Restore.
The plugin scans, extracts and restores the data. The process takes a few minutes, depending on the size of your site. Since your deleted pages existed when the backup was made, they return to your site. Keep in mind that a full restore rewinds your whole site to the backup date. Content created after that date may be affected.
🌐 What If You Have No Backup? Use the Wayback Machine
No backup? You can still try to recover a deleted page in WordPress through a public web archive. The Wayback Machine at archive.org is a huge digital library. It stores billions of web pages over time, with no setup needed on your side.
There is one condition. Your pages must have been published long enough to be indexed in the archive. A page that was only live for a few days may not have a saved copy.
To recover your deleted content, enter your website in the search tab and hit Enter. Once you see the results page, select a publication date before the deletion. Days marked with a colored circle contain saved snapshots. Open the archived version of your page. Then copy the content and rebuild the page in WordPress.
You can also submit your site pages directly to the archive. This creates snapshots on demand, so future content is always recoverable. It works as a light safety net alongside regular backups and other WordPress content protection measures.
In short, there are three ways to recover a deleted page in WordPress. Check the Trash first, restore an UpdraftPlus backup if one exists, and use the Wayback Machine as a last resort.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
How long does WordPress keep deleted pages in the Trash?
WordPress stores deleted pages in the Trash for 30 days. After that, they are removed permanently and you need another recovery method.
Do restored pages go live automatically?
No. Restored pages come back as drafts. Open each page and click Publish to make it live again.
Can I recover a deleted page in WordPress without a backup?
Yes. Use the Trash within 30 days of deletion, or copy your content from the Wayback Machine if the page was archived.
Does UpdraftPlus work if I install it after deleting the page?
No. UpdraftPlus can only restore backups that already exist. It cannot recover content deleted before the plugin created its first backup.
Can UpdraftPlus restore backups made with other plugins?
Not by default. Each backup plugin uses its own file format, and UpdraftPlus restores the backup files that it created.
What if my page does not appear in the Wayback Machine?
The page was not archived. Pages must stay published long enough to be indexed. In that case, only the Trash or a backup can help.
