Welcome to Basic Computing’s Learning Hub. What will you learn today?WelcomeWelcome to Basic Computing’s Learning Hub.What will you learn today?
WINDOWS SHORTCUT MASTERY · LESSON 11
Bring back an undone change: Ctrl + Y
FREE LESSON
3 minutesWindows 11Beginner
Section 1 of 33 minutes
Learn at your own pace
UNDERSTAND THE IDEA
When this helps
What am I going to do?
Read the idea, learn the key combination and answer a question about when it would help.
What will I learn?
Know when and how to bring back an undone change.
Sometimes you reverse a change and then realise you preferred it. Redo can bring that change forward again, so you do not have to rebuild the work you have just undone.
LEARN THE SHORTCUT
The keys and what happens
Where it works Many Windows editors; some apps use a different shortcut
Ctrl+Y
Key names are shown separately, not as a keyboard layout. A + between key boxes means combine them. A box named Plus means the actual Plus key. Follow the steps below for alternatives.
1How to use it
After using Undo in a supporting app, hold Ctrl, tap Y once, then release both keys. Check whether the change you wanted returns. If it does not, look in the app’s Edit menu for Redo and the shortcut shown beside it.
2What to watch for
Some apps use Ctrl + Shift + Z instead. In Word, Ctrl + Y can repeat an action when there is nothing to redo, so use it deliberately after Undo. Making a new edit can remove the earlier redo choices.
You can learn this shortcut without pressing it here. The real keys act on your computer or the app you are using.
CHOOSE THE USEFUL ACTION
When would you use it?
You removed a colour change with Undo, then decide that colour actually looked better. No other editing has happened since. Which action would help?
Bring back the change that was just undone.
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