How to Undo on Mac: Shortcuts, Redo, and Recovery

To undo on Mac, press Command + Z (⌘Z). It takes back your last typing, formatting change or file move in Finder. To redo what you undid, press Shift + Command + Z (⇧⌘Z). Undo cannot bring back something you copied and then copied over, because a Mac remembers only the last copy.

Everyone deletes the wrong thing or moves the wrong file sometimes. On a Mac, almost every app has undo, so most mistakes take a second to fix.

Method 1: Undo with Command + Z

The shortcut is Command + Z (⌘Z). It works in nearly every Mac app:

• Text: Takes back the last typing or pasted text in Notes, Pages, Word and similar apps.
• Photo and design apps: Takes back the last change you made to the picture.
• Safari: Brings back a tab you just closed. Shift + Command + T does the same.

Method 2: Redo with Shift + Command + Z

If you pressed undo too many times:

• Press Shift + Command + Z (⇧⌘Z) in most Mac apps.
• In some apps, such as Microsoft Office, Command + Y (⌘Y) also works.

Method 3: Undo a File Move or Delete in Finder

Finder has undo too. If you dropped a file in the wrong folder or moved it to the Trash by mistake:

1. Click the desktop or a Finder window so that Finder is the app in front.
2. Press Command + Z (⌘Z).
3. The file goes back to where it was.

Method 4: Check the Edit Menu

If you are not sure what undo will do, look at the menu bar:

• Click Edit.
• The first item says what will be undone, for example Undo Typing or Undo Move of "Report.pdf".
• If Undo is gray, there is nothing to undo. This happens after you close and reopen a document.

What Undo Cannot Bring Back

A Mac remembers only the last thing you copied. If you copy a link or a piece of text, then copy something else before pasting the first one, Command + Z cannot get it back.

Keep Your Copied Items with Tegaro

Tegaro Clipboard keeps a history of what you copied, so an earlier item is not lost:

• History (⌃⌥V): Open the list, then press ⌘1 to ⌘9 to paste one of the items.
• Stays on your Mac: Tegaro needs no account, and what you copy is not sent anywhere.

Clipboard is off until you turn it on, and it needs Pro after the 14-day trial.

Frequently Asked Questions