LightBurn 2.1 Undo History lets you inspect earlier states from the current editing session and return to a chosen one. Open Edit → Undo History, preview a listed state and confirm the one you need. It is useful while the project remains open; it is not a recovery service for yesterday's closed file.
A January 2026 request for selectable editing history shows the need, and the later LightBurn 2.1 release announcement confirms the feature. For an X1S 2026 panel, recovering a known geometry state can be safer than manually rebuilding every changed contour.
Preserve the current state before stepping back
Save the current project under a distinct filename before attempting recovery, without closing it or opening another project. This retains a file containing useful later work if you discover that the desired older state also predates other changes you wanted to keep.
Write down the visual feature you are trying to recover: for example, an intact panel border before a destructive trim. That is more useful than remembering that the change happened roughly twenty clicks ago. In Undo History, move through candidate states and compare that feature with your reference.
The current Undo/Redo documentation states that closing the program or opening a new project resets the undo list. Avoid doing either while exploring a live recovery opportunity. After returning to the chosen state, save the recovered result as a separate project and inspect it before further editing.
A panel-editing decision record
| State | Border | Later customer lettering | Decision |
|---|---|---|---|
| Before trimming | Intact | Older spelling | Geometry candidate, not ready to output |
| After trimming | Unwanted opening | Older spelling | Reject this geometry state |
| Current project | Unwanted opening | Correct spelling | Preserve as reference for the lettering |
| Reconciled copy | Intact | Correct, rechecked spelling | Preview before release |
This example illustrates why an earlier state is not automatically the best complete job. Recover the needed geometry, then reconcile any separately preserved later decisions. Do not assume a successful Undo operation knows which customer revision was approved.
If the unexpected change occurred during ungrouping, retain a minimal before-and-after geometry example for support. For image-based panels, preserve the original photo master as well; session history cannot restore detail that was never present in the imported file.
Recovery ends at the project boundary
The X1S 2026 listing presents a large-format workflow with 800 × 800 mm starting dimensions and an expansion path. Check the actual supported configuration. Undoing artwork does not reverse an engraving already made, restore machine position after interruption or establish material suitability. Preview the recovered job and validate the physical setup separately before output.
Can Undo History retrieve a project after I restart the computer?
No. The session list is not a persistent file backup. After a restart, look for separately saved project copies or documented backups; do not claim that the old session history remains available.
Should I repeatedly undo until the drawing looks familiar?
Use the history preview to identify a specific state, then compare dimensions and approved content. A familiar overall appearance can hide an older spelling, missing detail or changed layer assignment.
