> From the [Strife user guide](https://strife.app/docs/user-guide/getting-the-basics/snapshots). Every page is listed in [llms.txt](https://strife.app/docs/llms.txt).

# Snapshots

A snapshot is a frozen copy of a page — its unpublished draft, or, from [History](https://strife.app/docs/user-guide/getting-the-basics/history.md), an earlier published version or the page as it is live right now — with a link you can send to someone without a Strife account — a client, a colleague in another department, a reviewer. They see the page in your site's normal design, for 7 days. Nothing is published, and the person opening the link sees nothing else that is unpublished.

> [!NOTE]
> **Before you send the first link, confirm it with your developer.** Snapshots only work when your website runs a version of the Strife SDK that has them and the developer has run `strife push` for your team. Until then, Strife will tell you the snapshot cannot be created (see [What the messages mean](https://strife.app/docs/user-guide/getting-the-basics/snapshots.md#what-the-messages-mean)).

> [!NOTE]
> Snapshots live in [History](https://strife.app/docs/user-guide/getting-the-basics/history.md): your team needs both History and snapshots enabled. They are listed alongside the draft and published versions there, every **Share** asks you to confirm first, and you can also take a snapshot of a published version (see [Share from any row](https://strife.app/docs/user-guide/getting-the-basics/history.md#share-from-any-row)).

### Create a snapshot

1. Open the page and click the History icon next to **Publish** in the upper right corner.
2. Press **Share** on the row you want to freeze — the draft, the published version, or a previous version.
3. Confirm with **Create snapshot**. For the draft, Strife saves any edits you have not saved yet first; then it freezes a copy and copies the link to your clipboard — you will see "Link copied".

Every snapshot is named for you — "Snapshot 1", "Snapshot 2", and so on; one taken from a published version is named for that version's publish date and time. Rename it whenever you like (see [Rename a snapshot](https://strife.app/docs/user-guide/getting-the-basics/snapshots.md#rename-a-snapshot)).

The link points at the language you are viewing, but every language the draft had at that moment is included: the person opening it can switch language on your website as usual.

A team member who works on content through an AI assistant connected to Strife's MCP server can also create, list and revoke snapshots from there; the link is the same one the Studio copies.

### Copy and share the link

Each snapshot in the list has a **Copy link** action. On devices that support it, **Share link** opens the system share sheet so you can send the link straight to Mail, Messages or another app.

You can have as many snapshots on a page as you need — one per reviewer, or one per version — each with its own name and its own 7-day clock.

### View a snapshot

Click a snapshot in the list to show it on the canvas in the middle of the editor. A bar above the canvas shows which one you are looking at and when it expires, with **Copy link** and **Back to draft**. What you see is exactly what the person with the link sees.

### What happens to a snapshot

* **Editing, publishing or discarding the page does not change it.** It keeps showing the version it was created from — what the reviewer approved stays what they approved.
* **After 7 days the link stops working** and the snapshot disappears from the list. If a decision is still pending, create a new one.
* **Archiving or deleting the page** ends all of its snapshots.
* An expired or revoked link opens your website's ordinary "page not found".

### Rename a snapshot

Open **More actions** on the snapshot and choose **Rename…**. Type the new name — up to 60 characters — and press Enter. Renaming only changes the label in this list; the version it shows, its address and its 7-day clock all stay exactly as they were.

### Revoke a snapshot

To end a snapshot before it expires, open **More actions** on it and choose **Revoke snapshot**. The link stops working immediately and the snapshot leaves the list.

### Restore the draft from a snapshot

When a reviewer picks an earlier version — "go with version 1" — you do not have to re-edit. Open **More actions** on that snapshot and choose **Restore to draft…**. Strife asks you to confirm:

> Replace the current draft with '<name>'? Unpublished changes in the languages this preview contains will be overwritten; languages added since stay as published.

Restoring replaces the draft for every language the snapshot contains. A language you have published since it was created is left exactly as published — restoring can never unpublish anything. The snapshot itself stays as it was.

> [!NOTE]
> Restoring on a published page changes what will be published next, so it needs publish rights. Without them, **Restore to draft…** is greyed out with the note "Restoring a published page needs publish rights".

### What the messages mean

| Message | What it means |
| --- | --- |
| "Make a change first to create a snapshot." | **Share** on the draft row freezes the draft, so the page needs unpublished changes. Edit it, or share a published version instead. |
| "Switch language, or ask an administrator for a site address." | Your team has no website address configured for the language you are viewing. |
| "This site's content index needs updating. Ask your developer to run strife push." | Your website is not ready for snapshots yet. Your developer needs to update the Strife SDK and run `strife push`. |
| "This site's content index is still updating. Try again in a few minutes." | Your developer has just updated the site. Wait a few minutes and try again. |
| "Couldn't save your changes. Try again." | Your latest edits could not be saved before the snapshot was created. Nothing was created; try again. |
| "This version can't be read any more, so it can't be shared." | You tried to share a published version in History that could not be shown on the canvas either. Pick another version. |
| "Snapshot expired" | The snapshot you were viewing on the canvas has expired or been revoked; the canvas returns to the draft. |