How to Use Undo, Redo, and Repeat in Excel

Instructions apply to Excel 2019, 2016, 2013, 2010, and Excel for Microsoft 365.

Specific situations call for usingundo,redo, andrepeat.

How Undo Works in Excel

Excel’sundofeature lets you quickly reverse previous actions.

A screenshot of Excel’s Undo button with a drop-down menu showing all actions that can be undone.

Windows users canundoin Excel with the keyboard shortcutCtrl+Zwhile Mac users can pressCommand+Z.

you’ve got the option to repeat these keyboard shortcuts more than once to undo more actions.

Look for the icon with an arrow pointing to the left.

A screenshot of Excel’s Redo button with a drop-down menu showing all actions that can be redone.

The exact location of this icon will differ depending on which version of Excel you’re using.

The maximum number ofundoactions you could perform by default is 100.

Windows users can adjust the limit to a smaller number by tweaking theWindows Registry.

A screenshot of Excel’s Options dialog box for customizing the Quick Access Toolbar.

you might find the threshold stored in theUndoHistoryvaluelocated in theHKCU hive, under\Software\Microsoft\Office\Options.

Editing your Windows Registry can severely damage your install of Windows.

Only do so if you are familiar with the process.

Repeat button in Excel

Redois helpful when you accidentally hit the Undo button.

you’ve got the option to perform aredousing theCtrl+Ykeyboard shortcut in Windows orCommand+Yon a Mac.

you’re free to only redo the last 100 undo actions.

you might’t redo something unless that action was affected by an undo action.

Repeat lets you repeat the most recent thing you did in a different cell or cells.

The mobile versions of Excel and Excel Online do not support the repeat feature.

Therepeatoption can be used for other things, too, such as inserting and deleting columns and rows.

Repeatisn’t available in theQuick Access Toolbarby default.

At the top of the dialog box, selectPopular Commandsfrom the drop-down.

SelectRepeatfrom the list of commands, which are in alphabetical order.

Repeat and Redo are never available at the same time.

Conversely, undoing the color change inA1activates theredooption, but it deactivatesrepeat.

Let’s say you’re trying toundosome recent formatting changes, but you accidentally go one step too far.