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Using Undo and Redo in Word- Instructions

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Using Undo and Redo in Word: Video Lesson

            This video lesson, titled “Undoing and Redoing Actions,” shows how to use Undo and Redo in Word. This video is from our complete Word tutorial, titled “Mastering Word Made Easy v.2019 and 365.”

Using Undo and Redo in Word: Overview

            Using Undo and Redo in Word lets you easily undo previous actions or redo them again. The “Undo” button appears in the Quick Access toolbar in Microsoft Word by default. It is one of the most useful functions ever created. It lets you reverse the last command, or last few commands, you performed.

            The drop-down arrow next to the “Undo” button contains a list of your last few previous actions. You may reverse anything that is on this list by simply clicking it. Note, however, that you must reverse actions in the order that they were executed. This means that to undo an action you did five actions ago; you must also undo the four actions that followed it.

Using Undo and Redo in Word- Instructions: A picture of a user undoing previous actions in Word.

Using Undo and Redo in Word- Instructions: A picture of a user undoing previous actions in Word.

            If you hold your mouse pointer over the “Undo” button, a screen tip appears. It tells you which action you would be undoing. Also note that some actions cannot be undone. For example, closing the document without saving your changes is an irreversible mistake. You can also use the keyboard shortcut “Ctrl” + “Z” to undo the last action performed.

            Next to the “Undo” button is the “Redo” button. The “Redo” command is the inverse of the “Undo” command. It redoes an action that was undone. This is valuable if you accidentally click the “Undo” button too many times. You can also use the keyboard shortcut “Ctrl” + “Y” to redo the last action undone.

Using Undo and Redo in Word: Instructions

  1. To undo your last action, click the “Undo” button in the Quick Access toolbar.
  2. Alternatively, press “Ctrl” + “Z” on your keyboard.
  3. To undo the last few commands, click the drop-down arrow next to the “Undo” button in the Quick Access toolbar.
  4. Then select the command to undo.
  5. To redo your last undone action, click the “Redo” button in the Quick Access toolbar.
  6. Alternatively, press “Ctrl” + “Y” on your keyboard.
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