When you're ready, activate a new version. The active version:
- Is the default version opened in the editor
- Is the version that readers will see if the article is currently published or when it is published
- Has the Active badge next to it in the versions list
Authors with the default Editor or Writer role can activate article and custom content category versions. If you're using a custom role:
- To activate article versions, you'll need the Articles custom author role permission to Activate versions of articles.
- To activate custom content category versions, you'll need the Categories custom author role permission to Edit categories.
The information below varies based on whether you're using our 2026 new editor or old editor.
To figure out which instructions to follow:
- Open any article for editing.
- If the lefthand navigation is collapsed and there's a link near the top of the page to Switch to old editor, follow the New editor documentation.
- If the lefthand navigation is expanded and the top of the editor and the righthand column have a heavier grey background, follow the Old editor documentation.
Here are side-by-side examples of the new editor and the old editor:
Sample New editor
Sample Old editorTry out the new editor
We'd love your feedback on the new editor. To switch to the new editor, open any article for editing and select the Switch to new editor link at the top of the editor.
To activate an article version in the new article editor:
If you had no unsaved changes in the version before you tried to activate, the version will automatically activate and the editor will refresh.
- Open the article for editing.
- If you're already viewing the version you'd like to activate, select the Activate link in the version's card:
To activate the version you're currently viewing, select Activate in the version's card - If you're not already viewing the version you'd like to activate, hover over the version's card, select the triple dot menu, and select Activate:
Select the triple dot menu and Activate for any other version you wish to activate - If you had no unsaved changes in the version before you tried to activate, the version will automatically activate and the editor will refresh.
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If you had unsaved changes in the version before you tried to activate, the Activate version modal opens and warns you that any unsaved changes will be lost. Choose whether to Activate and lose those unsaved changes, or Cancel so you can save the changes before trying to activate again.
Congratulations, your version is now active and that content is what people will see in the live knowledge base when they view this article!
To activate a custom content category version or an article version in the old article editor:
- Open the version of the article or custom content category you'd like to activate.
- In the Versions section of the righthand column, select the triple dot Version actions menu next to the version:
Version actions are located within the triple dot menu to the right of the version. - Select Activate from the Version actions dropdown.
Select Activate from the Version actions menu - If you had no unsaved changes in the version before you tried to activate, the version will automatically activate and the editor will refresh.
- If you had unsaved changes in the version before you tried to activate, you may see a pop-up asking what you'd like to do with those change. Choose whether you want to:
- Save changes to the current version: If you select this option and then Activate Version, your edits in the current version will be saved before the version is activated. The version will activate and the editor will refresh accordingly.
- Discard changes to the current version: If you select this option and then Activate Version, your edits in the current version will be discarded before the version is activated. (Generally this is not the option you want, but who knows!) The version will activate and the editor will refresh accordingly.
- Cancel: This option will cancel the version activation and return you to your unsaved changes in the editor. This can be a good option if you want to verify your changes before activating.
Congratulations, your version is now active and that content is what people will see in the live knowledge base when they view this article!
Activating versions for several articles at once
You can activate versions marked ready for review in multiple articles simultaneously using the Manage bulk edit function. Refer to Bulk activating "ready for review" versions for more information.