How to Undo and Redo on a Mac

This article explains how to use the undo and redo functions on a Mac.

How Do You Undo on a Mac?

You can undo, and redo, on a Mac using either the menu bar at the top of the screen or a Mac keyboard shortcut. Most apps that allow you to undo your most recent action use these standardized methods, so you don’t need to learn a different method for each app. For example, if you accidentally deleted a sentence in Pages, you can undo it using the exact same methods that you’d use to undo an accidental brush stroke in Photoshop.

How to Undo on a Mac Using the Menu Bar

Most Mac apps use a standardized placement for the undo command on the menu bar, so it’s usually easy to find. If you take a look at the menu bar, you’ll see words like File and Edit. Clicking any of those words will cause a pull-down menu to appear with more options. The undo option is usually located in the Edit menu, but it can be located elsewhere in some apps.

Here’s how to undo on a Mac using the menu bar:

1. Click Edit on the menu bar.

2. Click Undo Typing. (In some apps, this may say Undo, Undo Move, or something similar depending on your action.)

3. Your most recent action in the app will be undone.

4. To undo more, click Edit > Undo again.

   Most apps allow you to undo several actions, but you will eventually reach a point where you can’t undo any more.

How Do You Undo on a Mac Using the Keyboard?

Most Mac apps have an undo option located somewhere on the menu bar, but that isn’t always the case. If you need to undo a mistake, and you can’t find the undo option, you can usually use the undo keyboard shortcut to get the job done.

Here’s how to use the undo keyboard shortcut on a Mac:

1. Make sure that the app where you made a mistake is the active app by maximizing the window or clicking somewhere in the app.

2. Press Command + Z on your keyboard.

3. The last action will be undone.

4. If you need to undo more, press Command + Z again.

How Do You Redo on a Mac?

Undo is really useful if you accidentally delete something you didn’t want to delete or make any other mistake. Often you can even undo several steps, allowing you to roll back a mistake even if you kept working after you first make the mistake. If you accidentally undo too much, then you can use the redo command to fix that problem as well.

Like the undo command, redo can usually be accessed through the menu bar, and you can also use a keyboard shortcut.

Here’s how to redo on a Mac using the menu bar:

1. Make sure that app where you just used the undo command is the active window.

2. Click Edit on the menu bar.

3. Click Redo Typing (or whatever specific action you're redoing).

4. The last undo action will be rolled back.

5. To roll back more uses of the undo action, click Edit > Redo again.