One thing that usually worries us as OpenStreetMap mappers is having our hard work deleted by someone else, either accidentally or intentionally.
Thankfully, our edits are still in the database.
The delete operation in OpenStreetMap is not really a delete operation. It simply flips the object’s visible flag from true to false, while retaining its entire history.
And you can resurrect them using JOSM’s “Undelete Object” feature, as long as you have the OSM object’s ID.
One thing that usually worries us as OpenStreetMap mappers is having our hard work deleted by someone else, either accidentally or intentionally.
Thankfully, our edits are still in the database.
The delete operation in OpenStreetMap is not really a delete operation. It simply flips the object’s visible flag from true to false, while retaining its entire history.

And you can resurrect them using JOSM’s “Undelete Object” feature, as long as you have the OSM object’s ID.

Discussion
Comment from Loopslol7 on 18 August 2026 at 01:31
Good to know!
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