Summary

If you recently updated Gutenverse, edited a page, and then changed back to an older version of the plugin, some blocks may show a recovery message in the WordPress editor.

This can happen because the newer version saves some block information differently from the older version. Your content is usually still there, but WordPress may need help matching it with the older plugin version.

This guide explains what to do and which option is safest.

What You Might See

You may notice one or more of these signs:

  • A message saying “This block contains unexpected or invalid content.”
  • A button or option to recover the block.
  • A Gutenverse notice saying that one or more blocks were recovered.
  • A block looks different after opening the page.
  • The page looks different after changing back to an older Gutenverse version.

If this happens, do not save the page repeatedly. Choose one of the recovery options below first.

Why This Happens

This issue can happen when:

  1. You update Gutenverse to a newer version.
  2. You open and save a page that contains Gutenverse blocks.
  3. You change Gutenverse back to an older version.
  4. You open the same page again in the editor.

The older version may not fully understand how the newer version saved the block. WordPress then asks you to recover the block.

Best Option: Restore a Previous Revision or Backup

This is the safest choice if you want the page to look exactly like it did before.

Steps:

  1. Open the affected page or post in WordPress.
  2. Open the Revisions panel.
  3. Restore a revision from before you edited the page with the newer Gutenverse version.
  4. Preview the page.
  5. Save only after confirming the page looks correct.

If you have a site backup from before the issue happened, you can also restore the affected page from that backup.

Recommended Option: Update Gutenverse Again

If you do not need to stay on the older version, update Gutenverse back to the newer version you used when saving the page.

Steps:

  1. Update Gutenverse to the newer version.
  2. Clear your site cache and browser cache.
  3. Open the affected page.
  4. Preview the page.
  5. Save only after checking that the blocks look correct.

This is often the easiest fix because the page was already saved using the newer version.

If You Must Stay on the Older Version

If you cannot update Gutenverse again and you do not have a usable backup or revision, use the block recovery option in the editor.

Steps:

  1. Open the affected page in the WordPress editor.
  2. When WordPress shows the recovery option, choose to recover the block.
  3. Check the block content, spacing, colors, links, and other settings.
  4. Preview the page.
  5. Adjust anything that does not look right.
  6. Save the page only after the preview looks correct.

Some design details may need to be adjusted manually after recovery.

If Recovery Does Not Work

If the recovered block still looks wrong, rebuild that block manually.

Steps:

  1. Duplicate the page first, if possible.
  2. Add a new version of the same Gutenverse block.
  3. Copy the text, images, links, and settings from the old block.
  4. Delete the broken block only after the new one looks correct.
  5. Preview and save the page.

This takes more time, but it is usually the cleanest solution when the block cannot be recovered properly.

Reusable Blocks and Templates

The same issue can happen in reusable blocks, templates, and template parts.

If several pages show the same problem, check whether they share the same reusable block or template.

For reusable blocks:

  1. Open the reusable block in WordPress.
  2. Restore an earlier revision if available.
  3. If no revision is available, recover or rebuild the affected block.
  4. Preview a page that uses the reusable block.

For templates or template parts:

  1. Open the Site Editor.
  2. Find the affected template or template part.
  3. Restore an earlier revision if available.
  4. If no revision is available, recover or rebuild the affected block.
  5. Preview the pages that use that template.

How to Avoid This in the Future

Before changing Gutenverse back to an older version:

  • Make a full site backup.
  • Duplicate important pages.
  • Avoid editing and saving important pages until you know which plugin version you want to keep.
  • Test the rollback on a staging site first.
  • Check pages that use reusable blocks, templates, or template parts.

When Contacting Support

Please include this information when asking for help:

  • Your current Gutenverse version.
  • The Gutenverse version you changed back from.
  • The Gutenverse version you changed back to.
  • The page or template where the issue appears.
  • Whether you saved the page after updating Gutenverse.
  • A screenshot of the message shown in the editor.
  • Whether you have a backup or page revision available.