Want to learn how to undo and redo on the Mac? It’s easy! There are two ways to perform undo and redo on the Mac; by keyboard shortcut, or by menu item.
If you’ve ever make a typo in Pages, draw the wrong stroke in Photoshop, or even move a file to the wrong location in Finder, you can fix all of these mistakes—and more—using a universal command called "Undo" that is built into most Mac apps. When you perform an Undo, you’re undoing the last done action and restoring something to how it was before you made the change.
Similarly, Redo allows you to repeat the last action you performed before the Undo, allowing you to change your mind and repeat your last change. Redo is almost an undo for Undo, if that makes sense.
The Mac keyboard shortcuts for performing Undo and Redo have been the same since the beginning of the Macintosh experience, so no matter what Mac you’re using or Mac OS or Mac OS X version is in in use, you’ll be able to use these tricks to perform an undo action and redo action.
How to Undo on Mac: Command Z
The easiest way to perform an Undo on Mac is with a keyboard shortcut: Command + Z
Simply press Command and Z together and the last action, typing, or activity will be "undone" on Mac OS.
Note that some apps have multiple levels of Undo, meaning you can continuously Undo and revert back various steps and actions or typing.
Undo via Edit menu on Mac
You can also "Undo" from the Edit menu on a Mac. Simply click on Edit, and then select Undo to perform the action.
How to Redo on Mac: Command Shift Z
The easiest way to perform a Redo on Mac is with a keyboard shortcut as well: Command + Shift + Z
Pressing Command and Shift and Z together will "redo" the last undone action, thereby reverting the Undo behavior.
Redo via Edit menu on Mac
You can also "Redo" via the Edit menu in Mac OS. Simply click on Edit, and then select Redo to perform the action.
Just like Undo, whether you ‘redo’ from the keyboard shortcut or Edit menu performs the same action.
Undo and Redo: Simple but Important Actions
Being able to undo and redo actions you’ve done on your Mac is a major blessing and something your Mac was designed to allow for in basically all situations.
Mistakes, even severe ones, don’t have to be permanent. Whenever you make a mistake on your Mac, simply take a step back with Undo. And if you change your mind, you can Redo the last command just as easily in most apps.
