What is simple history?

Simple History is a WordPress activity log plugin that helps administrators monitor all changes made on their website. It tracks user logins, content changes, plugin updates and security-related events in real time.

Unlike complex security tools, Simple History offers a clear and user-friendly interface within the WordPress dashboard. It provides a chronological activity feed that makes it easy to detect unauthorized actions, avoid accidental errors and track user behavior without technical knowledge.

The plugin is commonly used by e-commerce websites, multi-author blogs and corporate sites where multiple users manage content and settings.

Why should you monitor changes in WordPress?

When multiple people are working on a website, it’s important to know who changed what and when. Without proper tracking, you may face issues such as:

  • Deleted content without knowing who removed it and why.
  • Unexpected website malfunctions due to changes to settings.
  • Plugins or themes installed or removed without prior notice that affect performance.
  • Unauthorized login attempts that may indicate a security breach.

Simple History provides a detailed event log to help you recover lost content, prevent errors and improve the security of your website.

What does Simple History record?

Once installed, Simple History logs automatically:

  • User logins and logouts. Tracks successful and failed login attempts.
  • Content changes (posts, pages and comments). Shows who has edited, deleted or published the content.
  • Plugin and theme changes. Records all installations, updates and removals.
  • Changes to website settings. Helps detect unwanted changes to security, SEO or general settings.
  • WooCommerce activities. Logs product updates, order changes and other store-related changes.

All logs can be filtered by date, user and event type or exported as a CSV file for further analysis.

How to install Simple History?

  • Go to Plugins → Add new.
  • Search for Simple History.
  • Click on Install → Activate.
  • Navigate to Settings → Simple History to customize filters and settings.

Once activated, Simple History will immediately start tracking changes that you can manage in the plugin’s settings. To optimize your database, enable automatic log cleanup and remove old entries as needed. For best performance, use an optimized VPS hosting solution with sufficient resources to efficiently process activity logs.

How to use Simple History?

  • Monitor the activity log directly in the WordPress dashboard. The feed shows the latest changes in real time.
  • Enable email notifications to be alerted to critical events such as plugin updates or unauthorized logins.
  • Use search and filters to quickly find relevant logs by user, event type or date.
  • Export logs to CSV files for deeper analysis or reporting purposes.

Simple History makes tracking changes in WordPress a breeze. It improves security, simplifies troubleshooting and provides a comprehensive view of website activity.