diff --git a/packages/ui/src/elements/Status/index.tsx b/packages/ui/src/elements/Status/index.tsx
index 0ae4211962..6e473e8fc5 100644
--- a/packages/ui/src/elements/Status/index.tsx
+++ b/packages/ui/src/elements/Status/index.tsx
@@ -117,7 +117,19 @@ export const Status: React.FC = () => {
           setUnpublishedVersionCount(0)
         }
       } else {
-        toast.error(t('error:unPublishingDocument'))
+        try {
+          const json = await res.json()
+          if (json.errors?.[0]?.message) {
+            toast.error(json.errors[0].message)
+          } else if (json.error) {
+            toast.error(json.error)
+          } else {
+            toast.error(t('error:unPublishingDocument'))
+          }
+          // eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-unused-vars
+        } catch (err) {
+          toast.error(t('error:unPublishingDocument'))
+        }
       }
     },
     [
@@ -154,6 +166,7 @@ export const Status: React.FC = () => {
               <Button
                 buttonStyle="none"
                 className={`${baseClass}__action`}
+                id={`action-unpublish`}
                 onClick={() => toggleModal(unPublishModalSlug)}
               >
                 {t('version:unpublish')}
diff --git a/test/versions/collections/ErrorOnUnpublish.ts b/test/versions/collections/ErrorOnUnpublish.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..c357f7d0d1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/versions/collections/ErrorOnUnpublish.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+import type { CollectionConfig } from 'payload'
+
+import { APIError } from 'payload'
+
+import { errorOnUnpublishSlug } from '../slugs.js'
+
+const ErrorOnUnpublish: CollectionConfig = {
+  slug: errorOnUnpublishSlug,
+  admin: {
+    useAsTitle: 'title',
+  },
+  fields: [
+    {
+      name: 'title',
+      type: 'text',
+      required: true,
+    },
+  ],
+  versions: {
+    drafts: true,
+  },
+  hooks: {
+    beforeValidate: [
+      ({ data, originalDoc }) => {
+        if (data?._status === 'draft' && originalDoc?._status === 'published') {
+          throw new APIError('Custom error on unpublish', 400, {}, true)
+        }
+      },
+    ],
+  },
+}
+
+export default ErrorOnUnpublish
diff --git a/test/versions/config.ts b/test/versions/config.ts
index 36fdb76728..64a227f2bb 100644
--- a/test/versions/config.ts
+++ b/test/versions/config.ts
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ import DisablePublish from './collections/DisablePublish.js'
 import DraftPosts from './collections/Drafts.js'
 import DraftWithMax from './collections/DraftsWithMax.js'
 import DraftsWithValidate from './collections/DraftsWithValidate.js'
+import ErrorOnUnpublish from './collections/ErrorOnUnpublish.js'
 import LocalizedPosts from './collections/Localized.js'
 import { Media } from './collections/Media.js'
 import Posts from './collections/Posts.js'
@@ -42,6 +43,7 @@ export default buildConfigWithDefaults({
     DraftPosts,
     DraftWithMax,
     DraftsWithValidate,
+    ErrorOnUnpublish,
     LocalizedPosts,
     VersionPosts,
     CustomIDs,
diff --git a/test/versions/e2e.spec.ts b/test/versions/e2e.spec.ts
index f22e7fd5e1..26c0cbc4c9 100644
--- a/test/versions/e2e.spec.ts
+++ b/test/versions/e2e.spec.ts
@@ -60,6 +60,7 @@ import {
   draftWithMaxCollectionSlug,
   draftWithMaxGlobalSlug,
   draftWithValidateCollectionSlug,
+  errorOnUnpublishSlug,
   localizedCollectionSlug,
   localizedGlobalSlug,
   postCollectionSlug,
@@ -86,6 +87,7 @@ describe('Versions', () => {
   let disablePublishURL: AdminUrlUtil
   let customIDURL: AdminUrlUtil
   let postURL: AdminUrlUtil
+  let errorOnUnpublishURL: AdminUrlUtil
   let id: string
 
   beforeAll(async ({ browser }, testInfo) => {
@@ -124,6 +126,7 @@ describe('Versions', () => {
       disablePublishURL = new AdminUrlUtil(serverURL, disablePublishSlug)
       customIDURL = new AdminUrlUtil(serverURL, customIDSlug)
       postURL = new AdminUrlUtil(serverURL, postCollectionSlug)
+      errorOnUnpublishURL = new AdminUrlUtil(serverURL, errorOnUnpublishSlug)
     })
 
     test('collection — has versions tab', async () => {
@@ -579,6 +582,22 @@ describe('Versions', () => {
       await expect(page.locator('#action-save')).not.toBeAttached()
     })
 
+    test('collections — should show custom error message when unpublishing fails', async () => {
+      const publishedDoc = await payload.create({
+        collection: errorOnUnpublishSlug,
+        data: {
+          _status: 'published',
+          title: 'title',
+        },
+      })
+      await page.goto(errorOnUnpublishURL.edit(String(publishedDoc.id)))
+      await page.locator('#action-unpublish').click()
+      await page.locator('[id^="confirm-un-publish-"] #confirm-action').click()
+      await expect(
+        page.locator('.payload-toast-item:has-text("Custom error on unpublish")'),
+      ).toBeVisible()
+    })
+
     test('should show documents title in relationship even if draft document', async () => {
       await payload.create({
         collection: autosaveCollectionSlug,
diff --git a/test/versions/payload-types.ts b/test/versions/payload-types.ts
index c016d16822..4cb7db427c 100644
--- a/test/versions/payload-types.ts
+++ b/test/versions/payload-types.ts
@@ -75,6 +75,7 @@ export interface Config {
     'draft-posts': DraftPost;
     'draft-with-max-posts': DraftWithMaxPost;
     'draft-with-validate-posts': DraftWithValidatePost;
+    'error-on-unpublish': ErrorOnUnpublish;
     'localized-posts': LocalizedPost;
     'version-posts': VersionPost;
     'custom-ids': CustomId;
@@ -97,6 +98,7 @@ export interface Config {
     'draft-posts': DraftPostsSelect<false> | DraftPostsSelect<true>;
     'draft-with-max-posts': DraftWithMaxPostsSelect<false> | DraftWithMaxPostsSelect<true>;
     'draft-with-validate-posts': DraftWithValidatePostsSelect<false> | DraftWithValidatePostsSelect<true>;
+    'error-on-unpublish': ErrorOnUnpublishSelect<false> | ErrorOnUnpublishSelect<true>;
     'localized-posts': LocalizedPostsSelect<false> | LocalizedPostsSelect<true>;
     'version-posts': VersionPostsSelect<false> | VersionPostsSelect<true>;
     'custom-ids': CustomIdsSelect<false> | CustomIdsSelect<true>;
@@ -289,6 +291,17 @@ export interface DraftWithValidatePost {
   createdAt: string;
   _status?: ('draft' | 'published') | null;
 }
+/**
+ * This interface was referenced by `Config`'s JSON-Schema
+ * via the `definition` "error-on-unpublish".
+ */
+export interface ErrorOnUnpublish {
+  id: string;
+  title: string;
+  updatedAt: string;
+  createdAt: string;
+  _status?: ('draft' | 'published') | null;
+}
 /**
  * This interface was referenced by `Config`'s JSON-Schema
  * via the `definition` "localized-posts".
@@ -589,6 +602,10 @@ export interface PayloadLockedDocument {
         relationTo: 'draft-with-validate-posts';
         value: string | DraftWithValidatePost;
       } | null)
+    | ({
+        relationTo: 'error-on-unpublish';
+        value: string | ErrorOnUnpublish;
+      } | null)
     | ({
         relationTo: 'localized-posts';
         value: string | LocalizedPost;
@@ -778,6 +795,16 @@ export interface DraftWithValidatePostsSelect<T extends boolean = true> {
   createdAt?: T;
   _status?: T;
 }
+/**
+ * This interface was referenced by `Config`'s JSON-Schema
+ * via the `definition` "error-on-unpublish_select".
+ */
+export interface ErrorOnUnpublishSelect<T extends boolean = true> {
+  title?: T;
+  updatedAt?: T;
+  createdAt?: T;
+  _status?: T;
+}
 /**
  * This interface was referenced by `Config`'s JSON-Schema
  * via the `definition` "localized-posts_select".
diff --git a/test/versions/slugs.ts b/test/versions/slugs.ts
index 5807c381b5..b930df7060 100644
--- a/test/versions/slugs.ts
+++ b/test/versions/slugs.ts
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ export const mediaCollectionSlug = 'media'
 export const versionCollectionSlug = 'version-posts'
 
 export const disablePublishSlug = 'disable-publish'
+export const errorOnUnpublishSlug = 'error-on-unpublish'
 
 export const disablePublishGlobalSlug = 'disable-publish-global'