# Update a published article

_Category: Organize and publish_

Fix a typo, add a step or rewrite a section of a live article. Readers keep seeing the published version while you work, and see your changes as soon as you click **Update**.

**Who can do this:** Owners, Admins and Editors · **Plans:** All plans

## Update a live article

1. Open the published article from **Articles**.
2. Make your changes. The status pill switches to **Unpublished edits** (Update to push them live), and readers still see the published version.
3. Click **Update**.

![Screen recording. Edit a live article. Your changes stay private for now. Click Update to publish the changes.](https://helpcenter-io.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/self/eYITTr5WrJA35L288CPBFE8Ys1ejpvf0U5HzPT0M.gif)
Readers see your edits once you click Update.

You'll see "Saved. Your customers see the latest version." Your changes are now live.

## Where your edits wait until you click Update

Until you click **Update**, your edits are kept in this browser only. That means:

- Your teammates don't see them.
- They don't follow you to another computer, and clearing your browser data removes them.
- If you come back to the article in the same browser, the editor restores your changes to the text and tells you "The draft in this browser differs from the version on our servers." Keep editing to use them, or click **Discard local draft**. Other changes, such as a new title, aren't kept when you leave the page.

A live article has no separate draft to save, so pressing ⌘S (Ctrl+S on Windows) reminds you to click **Update** instead. On help centers that use staged changes, it works differently: your edits are saved to a staged copy in your account, and the button reads **Publish changes**.

## Working on a bigger rewrite

If the changes will take more than one sitting, you have two options:

- **Unpublish it while you work.** Choose **Unpublish (back to draft)** from the menu next to **Update**. Readers can't see the article until you publish it again. See [Unpublish an article](https://self.helpcenter.io/content/unpublish-an-article).
- **Stage your changes** (Catalyst). Your edits are saved to your account as a staged copy while readers keep the live version, and you publish them when they're ready. See [Edit live articles safely with staged changes](https://self.helpcenter.io/content/staged-changes).

## What gets recorded

Every update is kept in the article's **Version History**: who changed the content, title, URL, category or status, and when. You can compare changes and restore an earlier one. See [See and restore earlier versions of an article](https://self.helpcenter.io/content/article-versions).

Teammates who watch the article get an email when you change something they watch. See [Get notified when an article changes](https://self.helpcenter.io/content/watch-an-article).

If you change a live article's URL, its old address redirects to the new one, so existing links keep working.

## Troubleshooting

**My changes don't show on my help center.** Check the status pill. If it still reads **Unpublished edits**, click **Update**. If it reads **Published**, refresh your help center after a moment. See [My changes don't show on my help center](https://self.helpcenter.io/content/changes-not-showing).

**Edits I made earlier are gone.** Text edits you haven't published stay in the browser where you made them. Open the article in that browser, check your changes, then click **Update**.

## Related articles

- [Publish an article](https://self.helpcenter.io/content/publish-an-article)
- [See and restore earlier versions of an article](https://self.helpcenter.io/content/article-versions)
- [Edit live articles safely with staged changes](https://self.helpcenter.io/content/staged-changes)
- [My changes don't show on my help center](https://self.helpcenter.io/content/changes-not-showing)