Alternate versions

Spanish dubbed version also refers to Marty in 1955 as Levi Strauss instead of Calvin Klein.

In the Brazilian dubbed version, the names of the two soft drinks that Marty asks for in the diner, are changed from "TaB" and "Pepsi Free" to "Coca-Cola" and "Pepsi", since both TaB and Pepsi Free weren't available in Brazil.

The very last scene was re-filmed for television, where Marty asks Doc, "What happens to us in the future? Do we turn into *jerks* or something?". In the more recent edited-for-television version, the word "jerks" is dubbed over Marty's original expletive, instead of using the alternate television version.

The latest DVD edition released February 19, 2009 does not feature the "to be continued" image at the end of the movie, just like upon the movie's first theatric release. The reason is that at the time the makers did not intend to make a sequel.

The 2010 (25th Anniversary) Blu-ray and DVD uses very distorted and incorrectly transferred end credits. All previous versions, including the 2002 trilogy DVD and its single-movie reissue, present the credits properly.

Digital-era home video releases of the trilogy have some different audio in places, compared to the original VHS/LaserDiscs. One notable difference in the first movie is in Doc Brown's first on-screen line, "Marty, you made it!" It was shouted on those early versions, but is more subdued and calm on DVD and Blu-ray. The original releases were the original theatrical mix, the DVD/Blu-ray features a new 5.1 remix.

The theatrical print has a "When in Hollywood Visit Universal Studios" advertisement after the Amblin logo and MPAA rating screen. On further releases, the movie ends immediately with the former two logos.

The 2002 UK VHS release of the film has the 1963 Universal Studios logo replaced with the 1999 Universal Studios Home Entertainment UK logo (which basically is the 1997 Universal Pictures logo with both the website byline and the copyright stamp).

Six minutes of footage were taken out of the film after a sneak preview in San Jose. One scene shows the 1955 Doc investigating his 1985 counterpart's suitcase, discovering a hairdryer and a copy of Playboy.

Another deleted scene shows Marty peeking in on a class in 1955 and seeing his mother cheating on a test.

The network TV edit of the movie redubbed the scene where Biff swears at Marty; the line "You caused three hundred bucks damage to my car, you son-of-a-bitch, and I'm gonna take it out of your ass" was changed to, "You caused three hundred bucks damage to my car, you son-of-a-butthead, and I'm gonna take it out of your hide." Later cable broadcasts simply muted the word "bitch."

In 1955, Marty's mother calls him "Calvin Klein" because of the name found on on his underwear. The Italian version changes the name to "Levi" (as in Levi's jeans) because at the time of the film's release, the Calvin Klein brand was still not very well known outside the United States. In the French version, the name was changed to "Pierre Cardin" for the same reason.

TV versions that aired shortly after the World Trade Center Attack in September 2001 featured certain alterations to the Libyan terrorists subplot. When Marty reads aloud his warning letter for Doc, he says "You will be shot," instead of "You will be shot by terrorists," and the "by terrorists" area of the letter is digitally erased. The most recent TV airing edits the scene where Doc is shot by the Libyans, as well as the scene where Marty is almost shot. It instead cuts to the scene of Doc running off, Marty diving into the DeLorean and noticing Doc slain. However when Marty returns to 1985 and witnesses these events re-occurring, the shooting scenes are intact.

In February 2002, Turner Classic Movies aired Back To The Future uncut, with none of the editing that pervaded the versions shown after the terrorist attacks of September 2001.

The VHS release added a "To Be Continued..." title card at the end, to promote Back to the Future Part II (1989). This was not in the original theatrical release, nor is it on the DVDs.