To undo in Photoshop, press Ctrl + Z on Windows or Command + Z on Mac, or select Edit > Undo. Repeat the shortcut to undo more available actions. If you undo too much, press Ctrl + Shift + Z on Windows or Command + Shift + Z on Mac to redo.
To go back several edits at once, select an earlier state in the History panel or return to your last save with File > Revert. History states and snapshots disappear when you close the document, so recovery afterward requires a retained cloud version or an existing backup.
The short version
- Undo recent edits: Press Ctrl + Z on Windows or Command + Z on Mac repeatedly to step backward.
- Restore an undone edit: Select Edit > Redo to move forward again.
- Jump back several changes: Open Window > History and select the state you want.
- Return to your last save: Select File > Revert to discard changes made since that saved state.
- Recover after closing: Look for an earlier cloud version or an existing file backup.
| Method | Use it to | Requirement or limit |
|---|---|---|
| Undo | Reverse recent actions individually | Available undo history |
| Redo | Restore an undone action | An available action to redo |
| History state | Jump to an earlier editing state | State retained in the open session |
| New document from a history state | Recover an earlier state separately | Available state or snapshot |
| History snapshot | Restore a checkpoint | Snapshot retained until the document closes |
| File > Revert | Discard edits since the last save | An available saved state |
| History Brush | Paint an earlier appearance onto selected areas | Compatible retained history source |
| Erase To History | Restore areas with the eraser | Compatible retained history source |
| History fill | Restore a selected area at once | Compatible retained history source |
| Fade | Reduce the latest effect | Immediately after a supported operation |
| Layer visibility | Hide an adjustment or retouch | Edit preserved on a separate layer |
| Disable a layer mask | Reveal masked content | An existing, unapplied mask |
| Smart Filter controls | Hide, revise, or remove filters | Filters applied as Smart Filters |
| Layer effect controls | Hide or remove layer styles | Editable layer effects |
| Web undo and redo | Reverse or restore recent web edits | Available editing history |
| Web history restoration | Return to an earlier web editing state | An available state |
| iPad undo and redo | Reverse edits with buttons, gestures, or keys | Available editing history |
| Phone undo and redo | Reverse recent mobile edits | Keyboard shortcuts also available on Android |
| Desktop cloud version restoration | Replace a document with an earlier saved version | A retained cloud version |
| Cloud version in a new tab | Retrieve an older version separately | A retained cloud version on desktop |
| Web cloud version restoration | Restore an earlier saved version in the browser | A retained cloud version |
| Windows File History | Recover an older saved local file | A previously created backup containing the file |
| Mac Time Machine | Recover an older saved local file | A previously created backup containing the file |
Undo and redo recent changes
Select Edit > Undo to reverse your most recent action. The menu includes the action name, such as Undo Typing, so you can check what will change before selecting it. Keep selecting it, or repeat the undo shortcut, until you reach the state you want to keep.
Select Edit > Redo when you step back farther than intended. On Windows, the shortcut is Ctrl + Shift + Z; on Mac, it is Command + Shift + Z. With Photoshop's default behavior, repeating Ctrl + Z or Command + Z continues undoing available actions.
Choose an earlier state or snapshot
Open Window > History to go back several edits without undoing each one individually. Select the name of the state you want to restore. The panel menu also offers Step Backward and Step Forward for moving through available states.
To recover an earlier state as a separate document, select the state or snapshot and choose Create a new document from current state. You can then work with that version in another document. This requires a state or snapshot still available in the open session.
Before making more edits, create a checkpoint by selecting Create New Snapshot in the History panel. Enter a name, choose Full Document from From, then select OK. Select that snapshot later to restore it; closing the document removes snapshots along with its history states.
Return to the last saved version
Select File > Revert to discard your edits since the last save and return to that saved state. You need an available saved state for this method. Changes already included in that save remain part of the document.
If the unwanted edit is already saved and the document is still open, select an earlier state or snapshot that is still listed in the History panel, since states and snapshots remain available until you close the document. After closing it, look for an earlier cloud version instead. For a local file, recovery then requires an existing backup containing the older version you need.
Reverse only part of an edit
Select the History Brush when only one area needs to return to an earlier appearance. Open Window > History, then select Sets the source for the History Brush beside the desired state or snapshot. Select the History Brush tool and paint over the areas you want to restore.
You can also restore areas with the Eraser tool. Set the desired history source in the History panel, select the Eraser, then select Erase To History in the options bar. Drag over the area to restore it from that source.
To restore a selected area at once, set the desired history source in the History panel and select the image area. Open Edit > Fill, set Contents to History, and select OK. These restoration tools require a compatible retained history state or snapshot.
Choose Edit > Fade immediately after a supported filter, paint stroke, or adjustment to reduce its strength. Lower Opacity, optionally change Mode, then select OK. If that immediate opportunity has passed, return to an available history state or adjust the edit through its separate layer controls.
Reverse edits kept on layers
If you kept an adjustment or retouch on a separate layer, select its eye icon in the Layers panel to hide it. Select the empty eye column again to restore it. You can also select the layer and choose Hide Layers from the panel menu. Hiding a layer cannot reverse edits baked into the underlying pixels.
For content hidden by an unapplied layer mask, select the masked layer and choose Layer > Layer Mask > Disable. Choose Enable from the same submenu to restore masking. You can also hold Shift and click the mask thumbnail to toggle it.
For Smart Filters, expand the Smart Object's filters in the Layers panel. Select the eye beside a filter to hide it, select the eye beside Smart Filters to hide the stack, or double-click a filter to revise its settings. Drag a filter to Delete to remove it, or select Layer > Smart Filter > Clear Smart Filters to remove the entire stack.
To remove layer styles, select the affected layer, then choose Layer > Layer Style > Clear Layer Style. For temporary removal, select the visibility icon beside Effects. Select an individual effect's visibility icon if you want to hide only that effect.
Keep more undo history available
Open Edit > Preferences > Performance on Windows or Photoshop > Preferences > Performance on Mac. Under History & Cache, increase History States, up to 1,000, then select OK. Check the value shown in your preferences rather than assuming a particular default. Increasing it retains more states going forward but cannot reconstruct discarded states.
To retain later states when editing from an earlier one, open Window > History, open the panel menu, and choose History Options. Select Allow Non-Linear History. This also works going forward and cannot recover history already lost.
Within History Options, select Automatically Create First Snapshot to establish an opening checkpoint. You can also select Automatically Create New Snapshot When Saving. Both kinds of snapshots remain limited to the open session, even when saving triggers their creation.
Undo on the web or a mobile device
In Photoshop on the web, select Undo or Redo in the document's header bar. To undo with a keyboard, press Ctrl + Z on Windows or Command + Z on Mac. To redo, press Ctrl + Shift + Z on Windows or Command + Shift + Z on Mac.
To return to an earlier web editing state, select Show history. Under Edits, select the state you want and select Revert. Select Create snapshot to capture a checkpoint for later restoration.
On iPad, tap Undo or Redo in the editing workspace's header bar. A two-finger tap also undoes an action, while a three-finger tap redoes it. With a physical keyboard connected, press Command + Z to undo or Command + Shift + Z to redo.
On iPhone or Android, open your image in the editing workspace and select Undo to reverse the latest action. Select Redo to restore the last undone action. With keyboard input on Android, press Ctrl + Z to undo or Ctrl + Shift + Z to redo.
Recover older edits after closing the document
For a Photoshop cloud document on desktop, open the document and select File > Version History or Window > Version History. Find the version you want, open its three-dot menu, and select Revert to this version. Choose Open in a new tab instead to retrieve that version without replacing the current document.
In Photoshop on the web, open the cloud document and select Main menu > Document > Version history. Select a version to preview it, then choose More options > Revert to this version. Both desktop and web recovery require a retained cloud version.
For a Windows file included in an existing File History backup, right-click its containing folder in File Explorer and select Restore previous versions. Choose the backup under Previous Versions, then select Open > Open in File History to inspect it. To keep your current files, choose Restore > Restore to... and recover the backup elsewhere. Selecting Restore instead replaces the current version on your computer, and Microsoft notes that this replacement can't be undone.
On Mac, open the file's folder in Finder, then open Time Machine using Spotlight. Browse the existing backups with the arrows or timeline, select the earlier file, and select Restore. If no retained cloud version or earlier backup exists, these methods cannot recover edits from a closed document's discarded history.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you compare the latest edit with its previous state?
Select Edit > Toggle Last State to switch between the latest edit and its preceding state. Select it again to switch back.
How do you cancel a transformation before applying it?
While the transformation is active, press Esc or select Cancel in the options bar. To reverse only the most recent handle adjustment, select Edit > Undo.
Can you restore pixels removed by cropping?
If the crop retained the hidden pixels, select Image > Reveal All or extend the Crop tool beyond the current image boundary. These methods cannot restore pixels already deleted by destructive cropping. For future crops, uncheck Delete Cropped Pixels to preserve them. This option is unavailable for an image containing only a Background layer, so convert the Background to a regular layer first.
Why are layer visibility changes missing from undo history?
You can include them by opening Window > History, opening the panel menu, and selecting History Options. Select Make Layer Visibility Changes Undoable.
Does clearing history undo your image changes?
No, selecting Clear History or Edit > Purge > Histories removes recovery history rather than reversing image edits. Keep that history available if you still need to return to an earlier editing state.
