Simple History
Add to List“So far the best and most comprehensive logging plugin” – @herrschuessler
Simple History shows recent changes made within WordPress, directly on your dashboard or on a separate page.
The plugin acts as an audit log of the most important events that occur in WordPress.
It’s a plugin that is good to have on websites where several people are involved in editing the content.
No coding is required to use the plugin. Just install it and it will start logging events.
🔍 How Simple History Helps in Real Situations
Track what’s happening on your site
“Has someone done anything today? Ah, Sarah uploaded the new press release and created an article for it. Great! Now I don’t have to do that.”
Identify issues and debug faster
“The site feels slow since yesterday. Has anyone done anything special? … Ah, Steven activated ‘naughty-plugin-x’, that must be it.”
Keep Freelancers & Agencies Accountable
“I hired a developer to optimize my site. But did they actually do anything? A quick glance at Simple History shows me exactly what they worked on, so I know I’m getting my money’s worth!”
✨ Simple History Features
Out of the box Simple History has support for:
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Posts and pages – see who added, updated or deleted a post or page
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Attachments – see who added, updated or deleted an attachment
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Taxonomies (Custom taxonomies, categories, tags) – see who added, updated or deleted an taxonomy
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Comments – see who edited, approved or removed a comment
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Widgets – get info when someone adds, updates or removes a widget in a sidebar
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Plugins – activation and deactivation
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User profiles – info about added, updated or removed users
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User logins – see when a user login & logout. Also see when a user fails to login (good way to catch brute-force login attempts).
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User edits – see when a user is added, updated or removed, and get detailed information about the changes made to the user.
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Failed user logins – see when someone has tried to log in, but failed. The log will then include ip address of the possible hacker.
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Menu edits
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Option screens – view details about changes made in the different settings sections of WordPress. Things like changes to the site title and the permalink structure will be logged.
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Privacy page – when a privacy page is created or set to a new page.
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Data Export – see when a privacy data export request is added and when this request is approved by the user, downloaded by an admin, or emailed to the user.
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User Data Erasure Requests – see when a user privacy data export request is added and when this request is approved by the user and when the user data is removed.
Built-in logging for third-party plugins
Simple History comes with built in support for many plugins:
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Jetpack – See which Jetpack modules are activated and deactivated.
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Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) – See when field groups and fields are created and modified.
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User Switching – See each user switch being made.
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WP Crontrol – See when cron events are added, edited, deleted, paused, resumed, and manually ran, and when cron schedules are added and deleted.
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Enable Media Replace – See details about the file being replaced and details about the new file.
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Limit Login Attempts – See login attempts, lockouts, and configuration changes made in the plugin Limit Login Attempts.
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Redirection – See redirects and groups that are created, changed, enabled or disabled and also when the global plugin settings have been modified.
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Duplicate Post –See when a clone of a post or page is done.
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Beaver Builder – See when a Beaver Builder layout or template is saved or when the settings for the plugins are saved.
Is your plugin missing? No problem – plugin authors can add support for Simple History in their plugins using the logging API.
Plugins that have support for Simple History includes:
- Connections Business Directory
- Simple History Beaver Builder Add-On
- WP-Optimize – Cache, Clean, Compress.
- Add Customer for WooCommerce
- Better WishList API
- AJAX Login and Registration modal popup + inline form
- Loginpetze
- Authorizer
- Ad Inserter
- FV Player Pro
- Login Me Now
💬 What users say
🌟 300+ five-star reviews speak to the reliability of this plugin. 🌟
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“The best history plugin I’ve found” – Rich Mehta
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“Custom Logs Are Crazy Awesome!” – Ahmad Awais
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“Amazing activity logging plugin” – digidestination
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“Fantastic plugin I use on all sites” – Duncan Michael-MacGregor
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“Useful Quick View of Activity” – Dan O
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“The best Activity Plugin” – Rahim
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“The best free history plugin ever” – abazeed
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“It is a standard plugin for all of our sites” – Mr Tibbs
Getting Started
After installation, Simple History automatically starts logging activities. Access the history log through the dashboard widget or via the ‘Simple History’ page.
RSS feed with changes
Using the optional password protected RSS feed you can keep track of the changes made on your website using your favorite RSS reader.
WP-CLI commands for automation
Multiple WP-CLI commands exist, to view and search the log, and to view more information about a specific event.
WP-CLI support is perfect for system administrators and agencies managing multiple WordPress sites. Using WP-CLI commands they can automate log monitoring, create reports, or integrate with existing DevOps tools.
Example commands:
wp simple-history event list– List the latest logged events.wp simple-history event search– Search for events.
Stealth Mode – Hide Simple History from the WordPress Admin
Stealth Mode allows Simple History to run completely in the background, hidden from the WordPress admin interface. This is ideal for agencies, developers, and administrators who want to track user activity discreetly without exposing the logs to other users.
There are two modes:
- Full Stealth Mode – Completely hides Simple History from everyone.
- Partial Stealth Mode – Hides the plugin but allows selected users to access the logs.
The activity log remains accessible via the REST API, WP-CLI, and RSS feed, ensuring administrators can still retrieve logs when needed.
Stealth Mode is enabled using a constant or filter, allowing you to customize who can access the logs while keeping the plugin hidden in the admin interface.
📝 Add your own events to the log using the API
Theme and plugin developers can log custom events in Simple History using the simple_history_log filter:
apply_filters(
'simple_history_log',
'This is a logged message'
);
See the documentation for examples on how to log your own events, query the log, and more.
🔆 Extend with Add-ons
Take your activity logging to the next level with add-ons that enhance tracking, security, and customization.
Simple History Premium
Unlock advanced features and customization options:
- Log Retention – Control how long logs are stored, from a few days to forever.
- Export Search Results – Download logs in CSV or JSON format for deeper analysis.
- Failed User Logins – Disable or limit logging of failed login attempts to reduce noise.
- IP Address Anonymization – Choose whether to store full IPs or anonymize them for privacy compliance (e.g., GDPR).
- Login Location Lookup – View the location of a specific login attempt on Google Maps to identify suspicious activity.
- Logger Control – Enable or disable specific loggers to manage what type of events are recorded.
- Ad-Free Experience – Remove promotional banners for a distraction-free workflow.
WooCommerce Logger
Track WooCommerce activity with detailed logs for:
✔️ Orders, refunds, and stock changes
✔️ Product updates and pricing adjustments
✔️ Settings modifications and coupon usage
Debug and Monitor
Gain deeper insights into your site’s background activity:
🛠️ Monitor outgoing requests and emails
🔍 Debug HTTP API calls and server communication
👨💻 Essential for developers, support teams, and anyone curious about what’s happening under the hood
💚 Sponsor this project
If you like this plugin please consider donating to support the development of the free plugin. The plugin has been free for the last 10 years and will continue to be free.
