Edit text and recover an accidental change
Command-Z undoes the previous command in apps that support it. Shift-Command-Z redoes; Command-C copies a selection and Command-V pastes.
- Scope
- Mac apps · Apple public Mac documentation checked 2 November 2026; no runtime compatibility test.
- Keyboard and customization
- English documentation; key names are written out. Non-US layouts can differ.. These are Apple’s documented defaults. Menu commands, keyboard layout, app settings and custom App Shortcuts can change a binding. Check the current menu when a shortcut differs.
- Review basis
- Documentation reviewed 2026-11-03 by Codex — documentation and editorial review; no hands-on runtime test. These bindings were not tested in a running app for this guide.
Recover before doing more work
After an accidental edit, pause and inspect the Edit menu. Undo applies to the app’s previous command, so check the result before repeating it. Some apps support multiple undo steps; that is not universal.
Confirm the destination
Place the insertion point where you want the text before pasting. Copy and paste operate in context, so the same keys can act on files in Finder or text in an editor.
Rehearse one edit and one recovery
In a disposable paragraph, select a short phrase, copy it and paste it into a new position. Undo once and check whether the paste disappeared; redo once and check whether it returned. This gives each operation a visible result without changing an important document. Undo history belongs to the application’s editing model, so switching to another app does not give you a shared system-wide undo list. If an action involves sending a message or publishing a change, read that app’s recovery options instead of assuming text-editing undo will reverse the external result.
Documented shortcuts for this task
Scroll the table sideways to see every column.
| Action | Keys | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Undo previous command | Command-Z | Availability and undo history depend on the app. ↗ |
| Redo an undone command | Shift-Command-Z | Reverses undo where supported. ↗ |
| Copy selected item | Command-C | Select the intended text or item first. ↗ |
| Paste copied contents | Command-V | Uses the current insertion point or destination. ↗ |
Sources and corrections
- Mac keyboard shortcuts — Apple Support — checked 2026-11-03
Found a mismatch? Email pashaseenainc@gmail.com with your app version, macOS version, keyboard layout and the command. Please leave personal document names out.
Keep going
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