How to undo a step in Photoshop on Mac: shortcuts, History panel and fixes

Most of the time you need one key combination: Command Z. It reverses the last thing you did, such as a brush stroke, a layer move or a filter. Photoshop also keeps a list of earlier states, so you can go back further when one step is not enough.

Undo the last step with Command Z

Click into the document window first so Photoshop knows which file to change. Then press Command Z. If you prefer the menu, choose Edit > Undo. The Edit menu names the step it will reverse, so you can check before you commit.

If Undo is greyed out, Photoshop has no recorded change to reverse in that document. Open the History panel to confirm before you assume something is broken.

Undo several steps with Command Option Z

Command Option Z steps backward through the History panel, one state at a time. An Adobe Community expert describes it as Step Backward. HowTo Geek says it works less well than Command Z, so test it on a practice file before a deadline.

Use it when you have made a string of changes and want to see earlier results. Press it, look at the canvas, and press again. Each press moves you back one state, which is slower than clicking a state in the panel.

1. Press Command Option Z once and look at the canvas.
2. Keep pressing until the image matches the state you want.
3. Press Command Shift Z to move forward if you went too far.
4. If a layer moves when you press the keys, read the Auto-Select section below.

Redo a step with Command Shift Z

Command Shift Z moves forward through states you have already undone. It works one step at a time, the same way you moved back. Use it right after you stepped back too far, before you make a new change.

The Edit menu label can differ by build. Some versions say Redo, others say Step Forward. Match the shortcut next to the item, not the wording, so you know which command you are running.

A worked example: undo a mistake in a real edit

Say you retouched a portrait. You blurred the background, then moved a text layer by accident. You want the text back where it was, and you want to keep the blur.

Press Command Z once. That reverses the text move, and the blur stays because it came before the move. If you went further than you meant, press Command Shift Z to step forward again.

Now suppose the mistake is a stray highlight painted earlier in the session. Open the History panel and click the state just before that highlight. Every change after that state goes away, so scan the list first.

Jump back with the History panel

The History panel lists the states of the open document, with the newest at the bottom. Open it from Window > History. Click any earlier state to return to that point. Click a later state to redo up to it.

• Open the panel with Window > History.
• Click a state above the current one to go back.
• Click a state below the current one to move forward.
• Make a new change while an old state is selected, and the states after it usually disappear.

The panel is the fastest way to back out of a bad brush session. Scan the list, find the last good state, and click it. Each state carries a name that tells you what it did, such as a filter or a layer move.

How many undo steps does Photoshop keep?

The default history count is 50 states, according to a Community Expert named jane-e in an Adobe Community thread. Change it under Photoshop > Settings > Performance. Some guides and older builds show Preferences > Performance instead, so look for the Performance page.

More states need more memory, according to PSDVault. A higher number helps in long sessions. Raise it only when you need the extra steps, because it also uses more of your Mac's memory.

Some users say undo stops at 5 steps even with History States set to 50. Replies on Photoshop 27.2 and 27.3 could not reproduce it, and one user undid 20 steps. No confirmed fix has been posted.

One suspected cause is low free disk space. If undo stops early for you, check your startup disk before you change any settings. Free space is a quick test.

Turn on legacy undo shortcuts

Some people learned Photoshop on older shortcuts and want them back. Choose Edit > Keyboard Shortcuts, check Use Legacy Undo Shortcuts, and click OK. HowTo Geek says the change takes effect the next time Photoshop starts.

Legacy mode is a preference, not a fix. If your undo problem comes from greyed out menus or the Auto-Select clash, switching modes will not help. The troubleshooting section covers those cases.

Fix Command Option Z when it selects layers

Some Mac users see Command Option Z also trigger Command click. Command click turns on Auto-Select in the Move tool, and that can drag or select several layers. An Adobe Community thread reports this on macOS Sierra with Photoshop CC from around 2017.

The workaround in that thread is to turn Auto-Select off in the Move tool's Options bar. The Command click behavior itself cannot be disabled, the thread says. This is a volunteer answer, not an Adobe staff fix, so test it on a copy first.

• Press V to choose the Move tool.
• Look at the Options bar across the top of the window.
• Uncheck Auto-Select, then try Command Option Z again.

When undo stops working or menus are greyed out

Two problems show up often in Adobe Community threads. The first is File and Quit greyed out after an update to Photoshop 27.6.0. Users said they had to force-quit the app. The accepted fix is to turn off Modern UI under Settings > Technology Preview.

Several users said that worked. Others saw the problem return after reinstalling or resetting preferences. If the menus stay greyed out, read how to reset preferences in Photoshop on Mac and try again.

Mistakes people make with undo

• Pressing Command Z expecting a redo. Use Command Shift Z to move forward.
• Ignoring the History panel. It shows each state, so you can jump instead of guessing.
• Forgetting that Command Option Z can select layers when Auto-Select is on.
• Raising the History States count without a reason. More states use more memory.
• Assuming Photoshop on the web matches the desktop app. Check its own help first.

Another mistake is treating undo as a backup. Undo covers the last few mistakes in one session. Save a version before a large change, such as a color pass or a retouch, so you have a clean point to return to.

Photoshop on the web and other versions

This page covers the desktop app on macOS. The undo shortcuts and history limits in Photoshop on the web were not verified, so do not assume they match. The newest desktop build confirmed for this page is 27.6.0, and newer builds may move menu items.

What to do next

Start with Command Z for the last mistake. Use the History panel when you need to jump several steps. If Command Option Z moves your layers, fix Auto-Select first, since every other shortcut depends on it working as expected.

When you finish a cleanup, the next step depends on the file. For a common follow-up, see how to crop an image in Photoshop on Mac or how to add text in Photoshop on Mac.