Use the Undo and Redo Commands
The "undo" and "redo" commands can help you reverse mistakes you made or to reverse unintentional "undo" actions. This can help you bring back or erase large blocks of text in Microsoft Word, rewrite something you just typed into a web browser, delete a mistake you made in Microsoft Excel, and to accomplish a variety of other tasks. If you want to know how to use the "undo" and "redo" commands on Windows or Mac, just follow these steps.
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Steps
Using the Undo and Redo Commands on a Windows Computer
- Use the undo and redo commands on your web browser. These are useful options if you want to revert an action, or to bring back lost text. There are two ways to use the redo and undo commands on your web browser:
- Press Ctrl + Z to undo an action. To redo an action, press Ctrl + Y.
- Click "Edit" and then "Undo" or "Redo." This will perform the same action. You can find the "Edit" option on the top right of the toolbar.
- Use the undo and redo commands in Microsoft Office programs. There are three main ways to use the undo and redo commands in Microsoft Office programs on a PC:
- Click "Edit" and then select "Undo" to undo and "Repeat" to redo. You can find this option on the top left of the toolbar.
- Press the "Undo" or "Redo" buttons. The "Undo" button will look like an orange arrow pointing to the left and the "Redo" button will look like a blue arrow pointing to the right. You can find them next to each other on the top of the toolbar.
- Use the F2 and F3 keys. The F2 key can undo an action and the F3 key can redo an action. You may need to press the F-lock key to activate these buttons.
- Use the undo and redo commands on other programs. Though some of the above options may also work in a variety of other programs, if you've opened another program, just click on "Edit" on the top of the toolbar and see the key codes that are listed to the right of the "Undo" and "Redo" options. This will tell you which keys to press to undo and redo your actions.
- Note that unfortunately, not every action can be redone or undone. If you're pressing the correct buttons and it's not working, then you've done one of these actions.
Using the Undo and Redo Commands on a Mac
- Use the undo and redo commands on your web browser. This is a useful option if you've typed in something you'd like to undo, or accidentally deleted something you'd like to bring back. There are two ways to do this:
- Press Command + Z to undo an action. If you want to redo an action, press Command + Shift + Z.
- Click "Edit" and then "Undo" or "Redo." This will perform the same action. You can find the "Edit" option on the top right of the toolbar.
- Use the undo and redo commands in Microsoft Office programs. These programs include Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, and Microsoft Powerpoint. There are three ways to do this:
- Press Command + Z to undo an action and press Command + Y to redo an action.
- Click "Edit" and then select "Undo" to undo and "Repeat" to redo. You can find this option on the top left of the toolbar.
- Press the "Undo" or "Redo" buttons. The "Undo" button will look like an orange arrow pointing to the left and the "Redo" button will look like a blue arrow pointing to the right. You can find them next to each other on the top of the toolbar.
- Use the undo and redo commands on other programs. Though some of the above options may also work in a variety of other programs, if you've opened another program, just click on "Edit" on the top of the toolbar and see the key codes that are listed to the right of the "Undo" and "Redo" options. This will tell you which keys to press to undo and redo your actions.
- Note that unfortunately, not every action can be redone or undone. If you're pressing the correct buttons and it's not working, then you've done one of these actions.
Tips
- If you use undo, don't make another change to the document until you are happy with the undo. Any changes can destroy the ability to 'redo' your undone changes.
- The number of undo's available is specific to the application you are using. It can be customized in some software such as Adobe Photoshop.
- Experiment when you start using a new application. How many "undos" does it have?
- Some operating systems have multiple undo available on the desktop!. Accidentally move a group of files to the wrong location? not a problem under Mac OSX.
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