Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Excel 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Excel, click here: Undoing an Edit.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated September 5, 2022)
This tip applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003
It happens to the best of us. You may delete the wrong value, replace the wrong formula, or run the wrong macro. In short, you make a mistake. Excel allows you to undo almost any of your editing actions. To undo an edit or formatting change, either press Ctrl+Z or choose Undo from the Edit menu. The exact wording of the menu option will vary, depending on the last action you performed. The Undo option is always the first item in the Edit menu, however.
If it is not possible to undo an action, the Undo option will not be available. Instead, it will be in lighter type than the rest of the options on the Edit menu.
Excel also provides an Undo tool on the toolbar. This tool looks like a curved arrow pointing backward—to the left. If you click on the tool, it is the same as choosing Undo from the Edit menu. If you click on the tool and you hear a "ding," it means there are no actions to undo. If there are more than one actions that can be undone, click on the down-arrow to the right of the Undo tool and you can see the various actions that you can undo.
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (2030) applies to Microsoft Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Excel (Excel 2007 and later) here: Undoing an Edit.
Professional Development Guidance! Four world-class developers offer start-to-finish guidance for building powerful, robust, and secure applications with Excel. The authors show how to consistently make the right design decisions and make the most of Excel's powerful features. Check out Professional Excel Development today!
Sometimes you have too much information in a cell and you need to "pare down" what is there to get to the info you really ...
Discover MoreThe radical symbol is used frequently in some branches of mathematics. If you want to insert a radical symbol in a cell, ...
Discover MoreIf you lose your place on the screen quite often, you might find it helpful to have not just a single cell highlighted, ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)
Got a version of Excel that uses the menu interface (Excel 97, Excel 2000, Excel 2002, or Excel 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2025 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Excel 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Excel, click here:
Comments