To store change every time you save a file add : (add-hook 'after-save-hook 'helm-backup-versioning) or from Emacs you can do : M-x customize-variable RET after-save-hook RET [INS] helm-backup-versioning To retrieve file backup, from buffer call `helm-backup' : M-x helm-backup for convenience you can define key binding as follow : (global-set-key (kbd "C-c b") 'helm-backup)