Create a Custom Function to Limit Post Revisions in WordPress

Limiting Post Revisions in WordPress

Custom Code Solution

Add this code to your theme's functions.php file or in a site-specific plugin to limit post revisions:

This code sets a maximum number of revisions for posts:

define('WP_POST_REVISIONS', 5);

For more control, this function lets you set different limits for different post types:

function limit_post_revisions($num, $post) {
    $post_types = array(
        'post'    => 5,  // Regular posts: 5 revisions
        'page'    => 3,  // Pages: 3 revisions
        'product' => 2   // WooCommerce products: 2 revisions
    );
    
    return isset($post_types[$post->post_type]) 
        ? $post_types[$post_type] 
        : 5; // Default for other post types
}
add_filter('wp_revisions_to_keep', 'limit_post_revisions', 10, 2);

To completely disable revisions for specific post types:

function disable_revisions_for_post_types() {
    remove_post_type_support('post', 'revisions');
    remove_post_type_support('page', 'revisions');
    // Add more post types as needed
}
add_action('init', 'disable_revisions_for_post_types');

Clean Existing Revisions

This function removes old post revisions from the database:

function clean_old_revisions() {
    global $wpdb;
    $wpdb->query(
        "DELETE FROM $wpdb->posts 
        WHERE post_type = 'revision' 
        AND post_parent > 0"
    );
}

Plugin Solutions

If you prefer using plugins, here are reliable options:

1. Revision Control - Simple interface to manage revision settings
2. Better Delete Revision - Cleanup and control revisions
3. WP-Optimize - Includes revision management along with other optimization features

Additional Notes

• Place custom code in functions.php or create a site-specific plugin
• Test thoroughly after implementation
• Back up your database before cleaning existing revisions
• Consider server resources when setting revision limits

For most sites, keeping 5-10 revisions per post is sufficient for content management while maintaining good database performance.