by In this article, we will explore the ins and outs of the Redo function in Excel, providing you with an in-depth handbook to mastering this essential tool.
As you work on complex spreadsheets in Excel, you may find yourself making changes, undoing them, and sometimes needing to re-apply your actions again. The Redo function is a handy feature that allows you to reverse the effects of an "undo" and restore your spreadsheet to a specific point in time.
Excel Redo feature
The Undo and Redo functions in Excel work hand in hand to help you navigate through changes made to your spreadsheet. The Undo feature allows you to reverse the last action you performed.
The Redo function in Excel lets you reapply the action that was previously undone. This can be useful when you want to revert to a previous version of your spreadsheet, or when you’ve accidentally undone something that you wanted to keep.
How to redo in Excel
There are two ways to redo an action in Excel: via the Quick Access Toolbar and using a keyboard shortcut.
To redo an action using a button, the steps are:
- In the Quick Access Toolbar, look for the Redo button represented by a curved arrow pointing to the right.
- Hover over the button to view a description of the action that will be redone.
- Click on the Redo button to reapply the last undone action.
Done!
Excel Redo shortcut
To redo an action with a keyboard shortcut, press the Ctrl + Y keys simultaneously on your keyboard.
In Excel for Mac, the shortcut for redo is Command + Y.
On most keyboards, you can also use the F4 key for redo. If it doesn't work for you, try pressing F-Lock or Fn, and then the F4 key.
Similar to Undo, this Redo shortcut works in various applications, not just Excel.
If needed, you can hit the Redo shortcut more than once to reapply multiple actions that were undone in succession.
How to redo multiple actions in Excel
When you want to redo several things in a row, there is no need to keep clicking the Redo button over and over. There's a simpler way to do it all at once. Here's how:
- Click the little arrow next to the Redo button. It will show a list of actions you can reapply, allowing you to choose a specific point in your editing history.
- Move your cursor down the list to select the actions you want to restore. As you do this, Excel will highlight the actions in the sequence, making it clear which ones will be redone. The number of actions to be reapplied will be displayed at the bottom of the drop-down list.
- Click on the last highlighted action to apply all the changes up to that point.
That's it! You will see your worksheet updated with the redone actions. It's handy when you want to go back through a bunch of changes and make your spreadsheet look like it did before.
Tip. Similar to redoing multiple edits, you can also undo multiple actions simultaneously using the same method.
Excel Redo not working
There are certain scenarios where the Redo functionality may encounter limitations or become unavailable.
Dependency on Undo. The Redo function is dependent on the Undo feature. In other words, you can only redo an action if it was affected by the Undo command. For instance, let's say you typed something in cell A1 and then removed the value using the Undo function. In this case, the Redo function can quickly bring the value back by reapplying the action. However, if you manually deleted the value (without using Undo), the Redo option will be unavailable for that specific action.
Redo unavailability. Since the Undo function is unavailable for some kinds of actions, Redo is not working for those actions too. For instance, when you rename or delete a sheet, unfortunately, this action cannot be undone. As a result, the Redo function also becomes unavailable for sheet deletions and renaming.
Just remember to be mindful of actions that cannot be undone / redone and take extra care to avoid unintended consequences.
So, there you have it - a handy guide to mastering the Redo function in Excel. Whether you're reapplying a single action or redoing a sequence of edits, these simple steps can save you time and hassle. However, be careful not to overdo it, as you might end up with unwanted changes. Happy spreadsheet-ing!
