How to Find Old Terms of Service That Companies Changed

Companies update their terms of service and privacy policies often, and the old versions usually vanish from their sites. If you need to know what you agreed to, or what changed and when, there are several places to look.

1. The company's own archive

Some companies keep past versions. Google, for example, links to earlier versions of its Terms of Service and Privacy Policy from its policies site. GitHub publishes its site policies in a public repository, where every change is recorded. Look for "previous versions", "archive" or "last updated" links at the top or bottom of the terms page.

2. The Wayback Machine

1. Copy the terms page's address and paste it into web.archive.org.
2. Pick dates from the calendar to see the page as it was.
3. Use the Changes tool to compare two captures and highlight what's different.

Wayback Quick Access opens the capture list for the page you're on. Terms pages are often captured frequently, because many people care about them. See finding pages in the Wayback Machine.

3. Services that track terms

• Open Terms Archive is an open project that records changes to the terms and policies of many major online services and publishes each version.
• ToS;DR (Terms of Service; Didn't Read) summarizes and rates terms in plain language, useful for spotting what matters.

4. Your own email

Companies often email users before terms change. Search your inbox for the company name with "terms", "updates to our" or "privacy policy". These emails often summarize what changed and give the date it took effect.

5. App stores and news coverage

Big changes to terms often make the news, especially around AI training, data sharing or arbitration clauses. Articles may quote the old and new wording.

Save a copy now

For services that matter to you, save the current terms. Use Save Page Now in the Wayback Machine, which Wayback Quick Access does in one click, and keep a PDF copy with the date. See how Save Page Now works.

Which version applies?

That depends on the terms themselves and the law where you live. Many terms say changes apply once you keep using the service after notice. For a dispute, the version in force at the key date matters, so record the dates carefully. This is general information, not legal advice. See using the Wayback Machine for legal research.