Alternate versions

The end credits differ slightly between various prints. To tell some apart, for example, on the Blu-ray edition large Panavision and Dolby Stereo credits fade in on their own after the cast list (and the 5th row of names is too far to the right so Serge Douy becomes Serge Dou), whereas on older DVD, laserdisc, and VHS releases the crawl is more simplified with small Panavision and Dolby credits that move along with the rest (and enough room for Serge Douy's name). It is possible that the latter was recreated quickly to fix the name problem. Both versions have slightly different timing to the appearance of the different components (filming locations, crawl, The End and For Your Eyes Only teaser).

According to writer Tom Mankiewicz there was a scene featuring Drax meeting his co-financiers in the Amazon lair; they use the room located just below the space shuttle launch pad that Bond and Holly later escape from. This scene was shot but later cut out.

The Italian TV version is heavily edited to fit into the scheduling but this also alters the plot of the film significantly, particuarly in the opening skydiving sequence. After stealing the pilot's parachute Bond clips it shut and the scene involving Jaws is completely gone. Instead we cut from the pilot screaming to the shot of someone falling onto the circus big top, making it look as if this is the pilot. Also the scene with the girl being torn apart by dogs is gone, after she shows Bond the hidden safe she is never seen again and Drax only appears in the Cucumber Sandwiches scene before we see him chastising Bond for breaking up the fight with the snake.

On a recent ABC TV showing, one scene involved Bond being lured to Drax's hidden pyramid base by one of Drax's beauties. In the original version, as Bond is following her, a shot of her walking reveals some brief nudity as she has no clothing underneath her top. In the ABC version, the lady now has clothing underneath her top.

A scene involving Bond and Holly inside what appears to be a meditation room aboard Drax's space station, was shot but never used in the final film. Shots of this scene made its way into some of the press stills as well as the trading cards released by Topps in 1979.