---
area: "Learn"
parent: "Learn"
url: "https://unpoly.com/learn/history"
---
# History
Unpoly keeps the browser history working while it updates fragments. When a link or form changes the page's main fragment, the address bar and window title change as they would for a full page load, and the Back button brings the earlier page back.
## Updating the address bar {#updating-the-address-bar}
An update counts as a page change when it swaps the page's [main fragment](https://unpoly.com/api/main.md). Only then does Unpoly push a history entry, so users can bookmark, share and reload each URL as usual.
Smaller updates leave history alone. Paginating comments doesn't add a history entry, so the Back button skips straight to the previous page:
```html
Next page
```
To override this default for a link or form, set `[up-history=true]` or `[up-history=false]`.
## Restoring the previous page {#restoring-the-previous-page}
When the user presses the Back button, Unpoly fetches the earlier URL and renders its `` into the current page. Scroll positions and focus are restored to where the user left them. Since responses are [cached](https://unpoly.com/learn/caching.md), going back is usually instant.
To keep parts of your layout alive, restore a smaller fragment:
```js
up.history.config.restoreTargets = ['.content', 'body']
```
To customize the render pass, or to restore the page with your own code, listen to [`up:location:restore`](https://unpoly.com/api/up:location:restore.md). To offer a _Back_ link inside the page, use an [`[up-back]`](https://unpoly.com/learn/restoring-history.md#back-link) attribute.
## Tracking page views {#tracking-page-views}
Analytics tools count a page view on every page load. With Unpoly the page loads once, so track a view whenever the location changes:
```js
up.on('up:location:changed', function(event) {
trackPageView(event.location)
})
```
One listener covers every way the location can change: followed links, redirecting forms and the Back button.
## See also {#see-also}
To control whether an overlay's URL shows in the address bar, see [History in overlays](https://unpoly.com/learn/history-in-overlays.md).