diff --git a/src/admin/components/elements/Autosave/index.tsx b/src/admin/components/elements/Autosave/index.tsx
index d444277c4..71706806e 100644
--- a/src/admin/components/elements/Autosave/index.tsx
+++ b/src/admin/components/elements/Autosave/index.tsx
@@ -95,13 +95,13 @@ const Autosave: React.FC<Props> = ({ collection, global, id, publishedDocUpdated
         }
 
         if (url) {
-          const body = {
-            ...reduceFieldsToValues(fieldRef.current, true),
-            _status: 'draft',
-          };
-
           setTimeout(async () => {
             if (modifiedRef.current) {
+              const body = {
+                ...reduceFieldsToValues(fieldRef.current, true),
+                _status: 'draft',
+              };
+
               const res = await fetch(url, {
                 method,
                 credentials: 'include',
diff --git a/src/collections/operations/update.ts b/src/collections/operations/update.ts
index 954b19862..786e7fe91 100644
--- a/src/collections/operations/update.ts
+++ b/src/collections/operations/update.ts
@@ -251,6 +251,7 @@ async function update(incomingArgs: Arguments): Promise<Document> {
       docWithLocales: result,
       id,
       autosave,
+      draft: shouldSaveDraft,
     });
   }
 
diff --git a/src/versions/drafts/replaceWithDraftIfAvailable.ts b/src/versions/drafts/replaceWithDraftIfAvailable.ts
index d8decffa7..374edb5e1 100644
--- a/src/versions/drafts/replaceWithDraftIfAvailable.ts
+++ b/src/versions/drafts/replaceWithDraftIfAvailable.ts
@@ -3,7 +3,6 @@ import { docHasTimestamps, Where } from '../../types';
 import { hasWhereAccessResult } from '../../auth';
 import { AccessResult } from '../../config/types';
 import { CollectionModel, SanitizedCollectionConfig, TypeWithID } from '../../collections/config/types';
-import flattenWhereConstraints from '../../utilities/flattenWhereConstraints';
 import sanitizeInternalFields from '../../utilities/sanitizeInternalFields';
 import { appendVersionToQueryKey } from './appendVersionToQueryKey';
 import { SanitizedGlobalConfig } from '../../globals/config/types';
diff --git a/src/versions/ensurePublishedCollectionVersion.ts b/src/versions/ensurePublishedCollectionVersion.ts
deleted file mode 100644
index d440871a6..000000000
--- a/src/versions/ensurePublishedCollectionVersion.ts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,80 +0,0 @@
-import { Payload } from '..';
-import { SanitizedCollectionConfig } from '../collections/config/types';
-import { enforceMaxVersions } from './enforceMaxVersions';
-import { PayloadRequest } from '../express/types';
-import { afterRead } from '../fields/hooks/afterRead';
-
-type Args = {
-  payload: Payload
-  config?: SanitizedCollectionConfig
-  req: PayloadRequest
-  docWithLocales: any
-  id: string | number
-}
-
-export const ensurePublishedCollectionVersion = async ({
-  payload,
-  config,
-  req,
-  id,
-  docWithLocales,
-}: Args): Promise<void> => {
-  // If there are no newer drafts,
-  // And the current doc is published,
-  // We need to keep a version of the published document
-
-  if (docWithLocales?._status === 'published') {
-    const VersionModel = payload.versions[config.slug];
-
-    const moreRecentDrafts = await VersionModel.find({
-      parent: {
-        $eq: docWithLocales.id,
-      },
-      updatedAt: {
-        $gt: docWithLocales.updatedAt,
-      },
-    },
-    {},
-    {
-      lean: true,
-      leanWithId: true,
-      sort: {
-        updatedAt: 'desc',
-      },
-    });
-
-    if (moreRecentDrafts?.length === 0) {
-      const version = await afterRead({
-        depth: 0,
-        doc: docWithLocales,
-        entityConfig: config,
-        req,
-        overrideAccess: true,
-        showHiddenFields: true,
-        flattenLocales: false,
-      });
-
-      try {
-        await VersionModel.create({
-          parent: id,
-          version,
-          autosave: false,
-        });
-      } catch (err) {
-        payload.logger.error(`There was an error while saving a version for the ${config.slug} with ID ${id}.`);
-        payload.logger.error(err);
-      }
-
-      if (config.versions.maxPerDoc) {
-        enforceMaxVersions({
-          id,
-          payload,
-          Model: VersionModel,
-          slug: config.slug,
-          entityType: 'collection',
-          max: config.versions.maxPerDoc,
-        });
-      }
-    }
-  }
-};
diff --git a/src/versions/saveCollectionVersion.ts b/src/versions/saveCollectionVersion.ts
index 7b2bca8f0..846377162 100644
--- a/src/versions/saveCollectionVersion.ts
+++ b/src/versions/saveCollectionVersion.ts
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ type Args = {
   docWithLocales: any
   id: string | number
   autosave?: boolean
+  draft?: boolean
 }
 
 export const saveCollectionVersion = async ({
@@ -19,11 +20,14 @@ export const saveCollectionVersion = async ({
   id,
   docWithLocales,
   autosave,
+  draft,
 }: Args): Promise<Record<string, unknown>> => {
   const VersionModel = payload.versions[config.slug];
 
   let result = { ...docWithLocales };
 
+  if (draft) result._status = 'draft';
+
   if (result._id) delete result._id;
 
   let existingAutosaveVersion;
@@ -49,7 +53,7 @@ export const saveCollectionVersion = async ({
     } else {
       result = await VersionModel.create({
         parent: id,
-        version: docWithLocales,
+        version: result,
         autosave: Boolean(autosave),
       });
     }
diff --git a/test/versions/int.spec.ts b/test/versions/int.spec.ts
index b54bad5f9..f3a3658df 100644
--- a/test/versions/int.spec.ts
+++ b/test/versions/int.spec.ts
@@ -159,7 +159,7 @@ describe('Versions', () => {
           locale: 'all',
         });
 
-        expect(versions.docs[0].version.title.en).toStrictEqual(englishTitle);
+        expect(versions.docs[0].version.title.en).toStrictEqual(newEnglishTitle);
         expect(versions.docs[0].version.title.es).toStrictEqual(spanishTitle);
       });
     });
@@ -184,7 +184,7 @@ describe('Versions', () => {
 
         const restore = await payload.restoreVersion({
           collection,
-          id: versions.docs[0].id,
+          id: versions.docs[1].id,
         });
 
         expect(restore.title).toBeDefined();
@@ -195,7 +195,7 @@ describe('Versions', () => {
           draft: true,
         });
 
-        expect(restoredPost.title).toBe(restore.title);
+        expect(restoredPost.title).toBe(versions.docs[1].version.title);
       });
     });
 
@@ -226,13 +226,15 @@ describe('Versions', () => {
           draft: true,
         });
 
+        const spanishTitle = 'es title';
+
         // second update to existing draft
         await payload.update({
           id: collectionLocalPostID,
           collection,
           locale: 'es',
           data: {
-            title: updatedTitle,
+            title: spanishTitle,
           },
           draft: true,
         });
@@ -251,7 +253,7 @@ describe('Versions', () => {
 
         expect(publishedPost.title).toBe(originalTitle);
         expect(draftPost.title.en).toBe(updatedTitle);
-        expect(draftPost.title.es).toBe(updatedTitle);
+        expect(draftPost.title.es).toBe(spanishTitle);
       });
     });
   });
@@ -423,7 +425,7 @@ describe('Versions', () => {
 
         expect(data.id).toBeDefined();
         expect(data.parent.id).toStrictEqual(collectionGraphQLPostID);
-        expect(data.version.title).toStrictEqual(collectionGraphQLOriginalTitle);
+        expect(data.version.title).toStrictEqual(updatedTitle);
       });
 
       it('should allow read of versions by querying version content', async () => {