diff --git a/src/core_plugins/kibana/public/visualize/editor/editor.html b/src/core_plugins/kibana/public/visualize/editor/editor.html
index 58b0b08f5e73f..f2f613ccc6c74 100644
--- a/src/core_plugins/kibana/public/visualize/editor/editor.html
+++ b/src/core_plugins/kibana/public/visualize/editor/editor.html
@@ -78,7 +78,11 @@
   <div class="vis-editor-content">
 
     <div class="collapsible-sidebar" ng-if="chrome.getVisible()">
-        <vis-editor-sidebar class="vis-editor-sidebar"></vis-editor-sidebar>
+      <vis-editor-sidebar
+        class="vis-editor-sidebar"
+        undo-state-history="undoStateHistory()"
+        redo-state-history="redoStateHistory()"
+      ></vis-editor-sidebar>
     </div>
 
     <div class="vis-editor-canvas" ng-class="{ embedded: !chrome.getVisible() }">
diff --git a/src/core_plugins/kibana/public/visualize/editor/editor.js b/src/core_plugins/kibana/public/visualize/editor/editor.js
index 8eca1caf8882c..0d9394d098706 100644
--- a/src/core_plugins/kibana/public/visualize/editor/editor.js
+++ b/src/core_plugins/kibana/public/visualize/editor/editor.js
@@ -55,7 +55,19 @@ uiModules
   'kibana/notify',
   'kibana/courier'
 ])
-.controller('VisEditor', function ($scope, $route, timefilter, AppState, $location, kbnUrl, $timeout, courier, Private, Promise) {
+.controller('VisEditor', function (
+  $location,
+  $rootScope,
+  $route,
+  $scope,
+  $timeout,
+  AppState,
+  courier,
+  kbnUrl,
+  Private,
+  Promise,
+  timefilter,
+) {
 
   const docTitle = Private(DocTitleProvider);
   const brushEvent = Private(UtilsBrushEventProvider);
@@ -70,6 +82,40 @@ uiModules
 
   const vis = savedVis.vis;
   const editableVis = vis.createEditableVis();
+
+  // Store history of visualization state.
+  const pastStateHistory = [];
+  let futureStateHistory = [];
+
+  function resetFutureStateHistory() {
+    futureStateHistory = [];
+  }
+
+  $scope.undoStateHistory = () => {
+    // Move present state into future.
+    futureStateHistory.push(vis.getState());
+
+    // Set past state to present.
+    const lastState = pastStateHistory.pop();
+    vis.setState(lastState);
+    editableVis.setState(lastState);
+    $scope.fetch();
+  };
+
+  $scope.redoStateHistory = () => {
+    // Move present state into the past.
+    pastStateHistory.push(vis.getState());
+
+    // Set future state to present.
+    const nextState = futureStateHistory.pop();
+    vis.setState(nextState);
+    editableVis.setState(nextState);
+    $scope.fetch();
+  };
+
+  // We intend to keep editableVis and vis in sync with one another, so calling `requesting` on
+  // vis should call it on both. However, it's not clear what is the benefit of calling
+  // `editableVis.requesting()`.
   vis.requesting = function () {
     const requesting = editableVis.requesting;
     requesting.call(vis);
@@ -146,7 +192,12 @@ uiModules
     editableVis.listeners.brush = vis.listeners.brush = brushEvent;
 
     // track state of editable vis vs. "actual" vis
-    $scope.stageEditableVis = transferVisState(editableVis, vis, true);
+    $scope.stageEditableVis = () => {
+      resetFutureStateHistory();
+      pastStateHistory.push(vis.getState());
+      transferVisState(editableVis, vis, true)();
+    };
+
     $scope.resetEditableVis = transferVisState(vis, editableVis);
     $scope.$watch(function () {
       return editableVis.getEnabledState();
diff --git a/src/core_plugins/kibana/public/visualize/editor/sidebar.html b/src/core_plugins/kibana/public/visualize/editor/sidebar.html
index 02ed5e96edae4..84a9dd054f685 100644
--- a/src/core_plugins/kibana/public/visualize/editor/sidebar.html
+++ b/src/core_plugins/kibana/public/visualize/editor/sidebar.html
@@ -35,6 +35,12 @@
           </li>
         </ul>
 
+        <!-- Undo/redo -->
+        <div>
+          <span ng-if="undoStateHistory" ng-click="undoStateHistory()">Undo</span>
+          <span ng-if="redoStateHistory" ng-click="redoStateHistory()">Redo</span>
+        </div>
+
         <!-- controls -->
         <ul class="nav navbar-nav navbar-right">
           <li
diff --git a/src/core_plugins/kibana/public/visualize/editor/sidebar.js b/src/core_plugins/kibana/public/visualize/editor/sidebar.js
index 40187ba84bed9..ae15b742cf529 100644
--- a/src/core_plugins/kibana/public/visualize/editor/sidebar.js
+++ b/src/core_plugins/kibana/public/visualize/editor/sidebar.js
@@ -6,8 +6,6 @@ import sidebarTemplate from 'plugins/kibana/visualize/editor/sidebar.html';
 uiModules
 .get('app/visualize')
 .directive('visEditorSidebar', function () {
-
-
   return {
     restrict: 'E',
     template: sidebarTemplate,
diff --git a/src/ui/public/share/directives/share_object_url.js b/src/ui/public/share/directives/share_object_url.js
index d20a1c4c00305..849cec1d9b522 100644
--- a/src/ui/public/share/directives/share_object_url.js
+++ b/src/ui/public/share/directives/share_object_url.js
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ import uiModules from 'ui/modules';
 import shareObjectUrlTemplate from 'ui/share/views/share_object_url.html';
 
 
-app.directive('shareObjectUrl', function (Private, Notifier) {
+app.directive('shareObjectUrl', function (Private, Notifier, $rootScope, $httpParamSerializer) {
   const urlShortener = Private(LibUrlShortenerProvider);
 
   return {
@@ -69,15 +69,27 @@ app.directive('shareObjectUrl', function (Private, Notifier) {
         });
       };
 
-      $scope.getUrl = function () {
-        let url = $location.absUrl();
-        if ($scope.shareAsEmbed) {
-          url = url.replace('?', '?embed=true&');
-        }
-        return url;
-      };
+      // $scope.getUrl = function () {
+      //   let url = $location.absUrl();
+      //   if ($scope.shareAsEmbed) {
+      //     url = url.replace('?', '?embed=true&');
+      //   }
+      //   return url;
+      // };
+
+      $rootScope.$on('state:queryParamChange', (event, param, value) => {
+        // When there's a change to the state, build a new shared URL using the new query param.
+        let search = $location.search();
+        search[param] = value;
+        const url = `${$location.absUrl().split('?')[0]}?${$httpParamSerializer(search)}`;
+        updateUrl(url);
+      });
+
+      $rootScope.$broadcast('state:triggerQueryParamChange');
 
-      $scope.$watch('getUrl()', updateUrl);
+      // TODO: What other use cases does this address beyond query param changes?
+      // We need to address them too.
+      // $scope.$watch('getUrl()', updateUrl);
     }
   };
 });
diff --git a/src/ui/public/state_management/state.js b/src/ui/public/state_management/state.js
index 7b934567e01ff..4326ac63f8586 100644
--- a/src/ui/public/state_management/state.js
+++ b/src/ui/public/state_management/state.js
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import _ from 'lodash';
+import angular from 'angular';
 import rison from 'rison-node';
 import applyDiff from 'ui/utils/diff_object';
 import qs from 'ui/utils/query_string';
@@ -42,6 +43,9 @@ export default function StateProvider(Private, $rootScope, $location) {
 
     // Initialize the State with fetch
     self.fetch();
+
+    // External actors in the system can request the current url params to be re-broadcast.
+    $rootScope.$on('state:triggerQueryParamChange', this.broadcastQueryParams.bind(this));
   }
 
   State.prototype._readFromURL = function () {
@@ -73,6 +77,22 @@ export default function StateProvider(Private, $rootScope, $location) {
     }
 
     _.defaults(stash, this._defaults);
+
+    // Internalize vis state on `this`. Once the vis state is initially read from the URL, it will
+    // never be read from it again.
+    // TODO: Allow properties such as vis to be dynamically specified via a public method,
+    // e.g. `internalizeParam()`.
+    if (this.toObject().vis) {
+      stash.vis = this.toObject().vis;
+    }
+
+    // TODO: Because we are removing the vis prop from the URL, it's also removed from the history.
+    // This means that navigating to a different part of the app and then hitting the browser back
+    // button will take you to an empty visualization. One possible solution is to store the current
+    // vis in the history with replaceState and pass it in as the state arg. Then, when the user
+    // navigates away and then back to this route, we need to listen for onpopstate and use the state
+    // to build the visualization.
+
     // apply diff to state from stash, will change state in place via side effect
     let diffResults = applyDiff(this, stash);
 
@@ -103,14 +123,25 @@ export default function StateProvider(Private, $rootScope, $location) {
       this.emit('save_with_changes', diffResults.keys);
     }
 
+    // Prevent vis state from being persisted to the URL. It's now represented internally on `this`.
+    delete state.vis;
+
     // persist the state in the URL
     let search = $location.search();
-    search[this._urlParam] = this.toRISON();
+    // RISON-encode state instead of `this`, because we only want to persist certain properties to
+    // the URL, e.g. *not* vis state.
+    search[this._urlParam] = rison.encode(JSON.parse(angular.toJson(state)));
     if (replace) {
       $location.search(search).replace();
     } else {
       $location.search(search);
     }
+
+    this.broadcastQueryParams();
+  };
+
+  State.prototype.broadcastQueryParams = function () {
+    $rootScope.$broadcast('state:queryParamChange', this._urlParam, this.toRISON());
   };
 
   /**