Undo and Redo Changes in Excel: Quick Guide

Accidentally deleted a column, overwrote a formula, or applied a formatting change you immediately regret? Excel’s Undo and Redo commands let you step backward through your recent actions to fix mistakes, and step forward again if you change your mind. This guide covers the keyboard shortcuts, the Ribbon buttons, and the Quick Access Toolbar, plus how to control how many steps Excel remembers.

What You’ll Need

• A computer with Microsoft Excel installed (Windows or Mac). The steps are the same for Excel 2016, 2019, 2021, and Microsoft 365.
• A workbook with some edits already made — typing, formatting, deleting, or inserting cells — so you have something to undo.

Step-by-Step

1. Make an edit you want to reverse. For example, type a value in cell A1, or delete a row. This gives Undo something to work with.
2. Undo the last action with the keyboard shortcut. Press Ctrl + Z on Windows, or Command + Z on Mac. Excel immediately reverts the most recent change. Press it again to undo the action before that, and so on.
3. Undo using the Ribbon button. Click the curved arrow pointing left in the top-left corner of the Excel window, just above the Ribbon (next to the Quick Access Toolbar). Each click undoes one more step.
4. Undo multiple steps at once. Click the small drop-down arrow next to the Undo button. A list of your recent actions appears (e.g., “Typing ‘Hello’ in A1,” “Delete Row 3”). Click any item in that list to undo everything down to and including that action. Excel highlights the actions that will be undone.
5. Redo the last undone action. Press Ctrl + Y on Windows, or Command + Y on Mac. This reapplies the change you just undid. Alternatively, use the Ribbon button: the curved arrow pointing right, also in the top-left corner.
6. Redo multiple steps. Click the drop-down arrow next to the Redo button (if available) and select how many actions to reapply. Redo only works right after you’ve undone something; if you make a new edit after undoing, the redo history is cleared.
7. Add Undo/Redo buttons to the Quick Access Toolbar if they are missing. Right-click the Ribbon and choose “Customize Quick Access Toolbar.” In the dropdown at the top, select “All Commands,” scroll to “Undo” and “Redo,” click each, then “Add ››.” Click OK. The buttons now appear in the top-left corner.
8. Increase the number of undo levels (Windows only). Go to File › Options › Advanced. Scroll to the “General” section and find “Maximum number of undo levels.” The default is 100; you can raise it up to 1000. Click OK. Note: this setting applies to the current Excel session only — it resets to 100 when you close and reopen Excel.

Common Mistakes

• Using Undo after saving. Saving does not clear the undo history, so you can still undo actions after a save. However, closing the file clears the history entirely — reopening the workbook gives you a fresh undo stack.
• Making a new edit after undoing. If you undo three steps, then type something new, the Redo history is wiped. You cannot redo those three undone actions anymore.
• Clicking the wrong arrow. The left-pointing arrow is Undo; the right-pointing arrow is Redo. They look similar at a glance, especially on a small screen.
• Assuming Undo works for everything. Undo does not reverse: running a VBA macro, deleting a sheet (in some Excel versions), or actions taken by another user in a shared workbook. It also does not undo changes made by external links refreshing.
• Expecting Redo to repeat your last action. Redo only reapplies undone steps. It is not “Repeat Last Action” (that’s F4 or Ctrl+Y in some contexts, but only for certain formatting/insertion actions).

Tips

• Use the drop-down list for bulk undo. Instead of pressing Ctrl+Z ten times, open the Undo list and click the fifth item — it undoes five steps in one click.
• Memorize the shortcuts. Ctrl+Z (undo) and Ctrl+Y (redo) are the fastest. On Mac, it’s Command+Z and Command+Y. Some Mac keyboards also use Command+Shift+Z for redo.
• Keep the Quick Access Toolbar visible. If you prefer mouse over keyboard, ensure Undo/Redo are on that toolbar — they are there by default in most Excel installations.
• Undo is not a substitute for saving. Undo history is lost when the file is closed. Save frequently (Ctrl+S) so you never lose more than a few minutes of work.
• For large mistakes, consider a backup. If you’ve done a lot of work since the mistake, undoing everything might not be practical. Instead, use File › Info › Manage Workbook › Recover Unsaved Workbooks, or restore a previous version from OneDrive/SharePoint version history.

Troubleshooting

• Undo button is grayed out. This means there is nothing to undo — either you haven’t made any changes, or the history was cleared (e.g., after running a macro or closing/reopening the file). Make a small edit and try again.
• Undo only undoes one step even though you pressed it multiple times. Check if you’re pressing Ctrl+Z while a dialog box is open — that might be interpreted differently. Click a cell first to ensure focus is on the worksheet.
• Redo button is grayed out. Redo is only available immediately after an Undo. If you’ve made any new edit, or if you’ve undone everything possible, Redo is disabled.
• Undo seems to skip some actions. Some operations are not recorded in the undo stack, such as changing the zoom level, scrolling, or hiding/unhiding rows (in some versions). Also, if you use a macro or add-in that modifies the sheet, those changes may not be undoable.
• You closed the file without saving and want to undo. Reopen the file — the undo history is gone. If you had AutoSave on (Microsoft 365), check the version history (File › Info › Version History) to restore an earlier saved state.
• Undo is very slow on a large workbook. Excel stores a snapshot of each change, which can be memory-intensive. Reducing the maximum undo levels (File › Options › Advanced) to something like 20 can speed things up, at the cost of fewer undo steps.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How many times can I press Undo in Excel?
A: By default, Excel remembers the last 100 actions. You can increase this to up to 1000 in File › Options › Advanced › Maximum number of undo levels, but it resets to 100 each time you restart Excel.

Q: Does saving the file clear the undo history?
A: No. Saving does not clear Undo. You can still undo actions performed before the save. However, closing the file completely clears the history.

Q: Can I undo a change after I’ve closed and reopened the workbook?
A: No. The undo history is stored in memory only. Once you close the file, it’s gone. Your only option is to restore a previous version if you have AutoSave or version history enabled.

Q: Why is the Redo button sometimes missing or grayed out?
A: Redo only appears after you’ve used Undo. If you haven’t undone anything, or if you’ve made a new edit since undoing, Redo is unavailable. It’s not a separate feature — it’s the inverse of Undo.

Q: Can I undo changes made by another user in a shared workbook?
A: Usually not. In co-authoring mode, changes from other users are merged in and are not part of your personal undo stack. You cannot undo another person’s edits from your session.

Q: Does Undo work for formatting changes like cell colors or font size?
A: Yes. Formatting changes are recorded in the undo history just like data entry and deletions. You can undo a font change, a fill color, or a column width adjustment.

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