Revisions in Revit record what changed on your drawings after they were issued. One revision ties together four things: a row in the Sheet Issues/Revisions dialog, a revision cloud around the change, a revision tag next to the cloud, and a line in the revision schedule of the title block. This guide shows how to add a revision, draw and tag the cloud, change the cloud color, set up the schedule and issue the revision. The steps are checked against Autodesk’s Revit 2027 help.
Quick answer
To add a revision in Revit, go to View tab > Sheet Composition panel > Sheet Issues/Revisions. Click Add, enter a date and a description, and click OK.
Then go to Annotate tab > Detail panel > Revision Cloud and draw a cloud around the change. The revision now shows in the revision schedule of every sheet that holds that view.
Next in the free course
Communication With Others
Revisions are how you tell the team what changed. This module collects the worksharing, coordination and documentation lessons.
Open this module in the free course
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What Are Revisions in Revit?
Autodesk describes revision tracking as recording the changes made to a building model after sheets have been issued. It lets everyone see when a change was made, why, and by whom. In Revit, a revision is made of four parts that update each other:
| Part | What it does | Where you find it |
|---|---|---|
| Revision | Holds the number, date and description of the change | View tab > Sheet Issues/Revisions |
| Revision cloud | Marks the area of a view that changed | Annotate tab > Revision Cloud |
| Revision tag | Shows the revision number next to the cloud | Annotate tab > Tag by Category |
| Revision schedule | Lists the revisions of a sheet in its title block | Inside the title block family |
Clouds and tags are optional. You can also add a revision to a sheet with no cloud at all, which is shown in the revision schedule section below.
Step 1: How to Add a Revision in Revit
- Go to the View tab > Sheet Composition panel > click Sheet Issues/Revisions.
- In the Sheet Issues/Revisions dialog, click Add to create a new revision. For the first revision of a project, edit the default row that is already there.
- Fill in the row (see the table below).
- Click OK.
| Column | What to enter |
|---|---|
| Numbering | Numeric (1, 2, 3), Alphanumeric (A, B, C) or None |
| Date | The day the change is made or sent for review |
| Description | A short note about the change. It shows in the revision schedule. |
| Issued to / Issued by | Who receives the revision and who sends it |
| Issued | Leave it unticked for now. Tick it in Step 5. |
| Show | Cloud and Tag (the default), Tag, or None |
You do not type the revision number. Revit builds it from the order of the rows and the numbering sequence you choose.
Revision numbering: Per Project or Per Sheet
The Numbering option of the dialog sets how clouds are numbered in tags and schedules:
- Per Project (the default): a revision has the same number on every sheet. Revision 5 is 5 everywhere.
- Per Sheet: numbers start at 1 on each sheet. If a sheet only has revisions 5, 6 and 7, they show as 1, 2 and 3 on that sheet.
✨ Tip: Pick one before you add revisions. Changing this setting later can change the number of every revision cloud in the project.
Change the revision numbering sequence
Revit comes with one Numeric and one Alphanumeric sequence. To make your own, for example P1, P2, P3 for planning and C1, C2, C3 for construction:
- In the Sheet Issues/Revisions dialog, click Numbering….
- Click the New Numbering Sequence icon.
- Select Numeric or Alphanumeric as the type.
- Set the sequence. You can add a prefix or a suffix to each value.
- Click OK.
Back in the dialog, open the drop-down list in the Numbering column of a revision row and pick the new sequence. You can switch sequences part-way through a project to mark a new stage. The Sequence column on the left keeps one running order for all revisions, whatever numbering they use.
Step 2: How to Add a Revision Cloud in Revit
A revision cloud is the cloud-shaped outline that marks the part of a drawing that changed. You can draw one in any view except a 3D view.
- Open the view where the change is.
- Go to the Annotate tab > Detail panel > click Revision Cloud. Revit enters sketch mode.
- Pick a draw tool on the ribbon, such as Rectangle or Line.
- Draw the cloud around the changed area. Press the spacebar while drawing to flip the arcs.
- In the Properties palette, check the Revision value. Revit picks the latest revision by default. Choose another one from the list if needed.
- Click Finish Edit Mode (the green tick).
A few things worth knowing about revision clouds:
- View or sheet: a cloud drawn in a view shows on the sheet that holds that view. A cloud drawn directly on a sheet stays on that sheet only.
- One revision per cloud: each cloud has one revision, but one revision can have many clouds. To move a cloud to another revision, select it and change Revision in the Properties palette.
- Arc size: the Arc Length value in the Sheet Issues/Revisions dialog sets the smallest arc for every cloud in the project. A larger value gives bigger, rounder arcs.
- Reshape: select the cloud, enter sketch mode, drag the ends of the segments, then click Finish Edit Mode.
- Hide old clouds: in the Sheet Issues/Revisions dialog, set Show to Tag to hide the cloud and keep its tag, or to None to hide both. This is the clean way to clear old clouds from a drawing without deleting them.
Step 3: Add a Revit Revision Tag to the Cloud
A revision tag is the small label next to a cloud that shows its revision number or letter. Readers use it to find the matching line in the revision schedule.
- Open the view that has the revision clouds.
- Go to the Annotate tab > Tag panel > click Tag by Category.
- Hover over a cloud to preview the tag > click to place it. Repeat for the other clouds.
- Press Esc to finish.
To adjust a tag, select it. Drag the blue arrows to move it, and drag the blue dot to bend the leader line. To remove the leader, untick Leader (on the ribbon or in the Properties palette in Revit 2027, on the Options Bar in Revit 2026 and earlier). To attach the tag to another cloud, click Pick New Host on the ribbon > select the cloud.
Fix the “No Tag Loaded” message
✨ Tip: If the “No Tag Loaded” message shows, the project has no revision tag family. Click Yes > browse to C:\ProgramData\Autodesk\RVT 20XX\Libraries\English\US\Annotations > select M_Revision Tag.rfa (or Revision Tag.rfa in the imperial library) > click Open. If the folder is empty, use Insert tab > Load Autodesk Family and search for “Revision Tag”.
How to Change Revision Cloud Color in Revit
Revision clouds are black by default. There are three ways to change the revision cloud color, depending on how many clouds you want to change.
1. One revision cloud
- Right-click the cloud > select Override Graphics in View > By Element.
- Under Projection Lines, click the Color box.
- Select a color > click OK twice.
✨ Tip: Hold down the CTRL key and select the cloud and its tag before you right-click, to change the color of both at once. Read more about keyboard shortcuts.
2. All revision clouds in one view
Open the view > go to the View tab > Visibility/Graphics (Shortcut: VV) > Annotation Categories tab. Find Revision Clouds > click Override in the Lines column > set the color > click OK. Do the same for Revision Cloud Tags if the tags should match.
3. All revision clouds in the project
- Go to the Manage tab > Settings panel > click Object Styles.
- Open the Annotation Objects tab > scroll down to Revision Clouds.
- Change the line color, line weight or line pattern > click OK.
This is the one to set in your project template, so every new project starts with the same cloud color.
A different color for each revision? Revit has no built-in setting for that. The Sheet Issues/Revisions dialog has no color column. The workaround is method 1: select all clouds of one revision in a view and override them together.
Step 4: Revit Revision Schedule on Sheets
A revision schedule is the table in the title block that lists the revisions of a sheet. You do not place it on each sheet by hand. It is part of the title block family, and most title blocks that come with Revit already have one.
The schedule fills itself in. Place a view with a revision cloud on a sheet, and that revision is listed in the sheet’s schedule.
Add a revision to a sheet without a cloud
Sometimes the whole sheet changed, or you only need to record an issue such as “For Construction”. In that case, add the revision to the sheet with no cloud:
- Open the sheet and click an empty spot in the drawing area, so the Properties palette shows the sheet’s properties.
- In the Properties palette, next to Revisions on Sheet, click Edit….
- Tick Shown in Revision Schedule for each revision you want to list.
- Click OK.
A revision that is ticked and greyed out has a cloud on that sheet. You cannot untick it until you delete its clouds from the sheet.
✨ Tip: To add one revision to many sheets at once, hold down CTRL and select the sheets in the Project Browser, then edit Revisions on Sheet. A box with a dash means only some of the selected sheets have that revision. Tick it to add the revision to the rest.
Edit a revision schedule in Revit
The columns, the sort order and the look of the schedule are set in the title block family, not in the project. To edit the revision schedule:
- Select the title block on a sheet > click Edit Family.
- In the family’s Project Browser, open Views (all) > Schedules > select the revision schedule.
- In the Properties palette, under Other, click Edit next to Fields, Sorting/Grouping, Formatting or Appearance.
- Add or remove fields, such as Revision Number, Revision Description, Revision Date, Issued to and Issued by.
- Click Load into Project and overwrite the existing version.
On the Appearance tab you can also choose whether the schedule builds from the top down or from the bottom up, and whether its height is fixed or grows with each new revision.
Add a revision schedule to a title block that has none
- Open the title block family.
- Go to the View tab > Create panel > click Revision Schedule.
- On the Fields tab, add the fields you want as columns. On the Sorting/Grouping tab, sort by Revision Sequence > click OK.
- In the Project Browser, double-click the empty node under Sheets (all) to go back to the title block.
- Under Views (all) > Schedules, drag the revision schedule onto the title block. Drag the blue triangles to change the column widths.
- Save the family > click Load into Project.
Step 5: How to Manage Revisions in Revit
You manage revisions in the same Sheet Issues/Revisions dialog where you created them. Click the sequence number of a row to select it, then use the buttons on the right.
| Task | How | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Issue | Tick Issued | The row and its clouds are locked |
| Reorder | Move Up / Move Down | Revision numbers change in tags and schedules to match the new order |
| Merge | Merge Up / Merge Down | Two revisions become one. The date, description and issued values of the selected row are lost. |
| Delete | Delete | The revision is removed together with all its clouds and tags. The other revisions are renumbered. |
Issue a revision
When the changes are done and the revised views are on their sheets, mark the revision as issued:
- Open the Sheet Issues/Revisions dialog.
- Fill in Issued to and Issued by, and check the date and description.
- Tick Issued > click OK.
- Print or publish the revised sheets. Learn how Revit prints to PDF
An issued revision is greyed out. You cannot change its row, edit its clouds, or give it to new clouds. To change something later, untick Issued, make the change, and tick it again.
✨ Tip: Revit will not delete an issued revision, and it always keeps at least one revision in the project. To delete several at once, hold down CTRL and click their sequence numbers before you click Delete.
In a shared model, agree on who adds and issues revisions, so two people do not create the same one. Learn more about worksets and model coordination.
Revit Revision Not Showing? 6 Fixes
- The revision is not in the revision schedule. The sheet has no cloud for it. Open Revisions on Sheet and tick the revision.
- The sheet has no revision schedule at all. The title block family does not include one. Add it in the family editor (see Step 4).
- The revision cloud is not visible. Check the Show column in Sheet Issues/Revisions. Set it to Cloud and Tag. If it already is, open Visibility/Graphics (VV) > Annotation Categories and tick Revision Clouds.
- The cloud cannot be edited or deleted. Its revision is issued. Untick Issued first.
- A revision cannot be unticked in Revisions on Sheet. A cloud on that sheet uses it. Delete the cloud, or move it to another revision.
- The revision numbers changed. Someone moved, merged or deleted a row, or switched between Per Project and Per Sheet.
Revit Revisions FAQs
Where are revisions in Revit?
Go to the View tab, Sheet Composition panel, and click Sheet Issues/Revisions. This dialog lists every revision in the project and is where you add, number, issue, merge and delete them.
How do I add a revision in Revit without a revision cloud?
Open the sheet, click an empty spot, and in the Properties palette click Edit next to Revisions on Sheet. Tick the revision and click OK. It is listed in the revision schedule with no cloud on the drawing.
How do I change the revision cloud color in Revit?
For one cloud, right-click it, choose Override Graphics in View, By Element, and pick a line color. For every cloud in the project, go to the Manage tab, Object Styles, Annotation Objects tab, and change the color of Revision Clouds.
How do I hide revision clouds but keep the tags?
In the Sheet Issues/Revisions dialog, change the Show value of that revision from Cloud and Tag to Tag. Set it to None to hide both. The revision stays in the revision schedule.
Can I edit a revision after it is issued?
Not while Issued is ticked. Open Sheet Issues/Revisions, untick Issued, make the change, and tick Issued again.
What is the difference between Per Project and Per Sheet numbering?
With Per Project, a revision has the same number on every sheet. With Per Sheet, numbering starts at 1 on each sheet, so revisions 5, 6 and 7 show as 1, 2 and 3 on a sheet that has only those three.
Revit revisions keep the whole team on the same version of the drawings. Add the revision, cloud and tag the change, check the revision schedule on the sheet, and mark the revision as issued when the sheets go out.
Mohamed Fakhry has helped thousands of architects and designers find their next project with step-by-step guidance on his blog, mashyo.com. About Mohamed
His journey began during his university years when he recognized the need for information-rich 3D models to accelerate learning and improve production processes. Now, Mohamed shares his expertise through Revit tutorials that are accessible to all.
