How to Undo in Premiere Pro (Quick Shortcut Guide)

Accidentally deleted a clip? Moved something you didn’t mean to? Don’t worry, it happens to all of us. The good news is that undoing things in Premiere Pro is super easy once you know the shortcut.

Here’s how you can quickly undo your last action and keep editing without missing a beat.

1. Use the Undo Shortcut

This is the fastest way to undo something in Premiere Pro:

• Windows: Press Ctrl+Z
• Mac: Press Command+Z

This will undo your most recent action, whether that’s cutting a clip, moving something on the timeline, or applying an effect.

You can keep pressing the shortcut multiple times to go back through your previous actions step by step.

2. Use the Edit Menu

If you’re not into shortcuts yet, no problem. You can also undo from the menu bar:

1. Go to the top menu and click Edit
2. Select Undo

You won’t see the exact action listed, but it still undoes whatever your last move was.

3. Redo If You Undid Too Much

Changed your mind after hitting undo a few times? You can redo actions too:

• Windows: Press Ctrl+Shift+Z
• Mac: Press Command+Shift+Z

This brings back whatever you just undid, one step at a time.

4. Know Your History Panel

If you want more control over your undos and redos, open up the History Panel:

1. Go to Window > History
2. You’ll see a list of all recent actions
3. Click any point in the list to jump back or forward

It’s like a timeline of everything you've done during your session.

5. Save Often (and Turn On Auto Save)

Undo is great, but it won’t help if Premiere crashes and you haven’t saved in a while. That’s why saving regularly is a good habit—and luckily, Premiere Pro has an Auto Save feature that can back you up.

Auto Save is usually turned on by default, but here’s how to make sure it’s working:

1. Go to Edit > Preferences > Auto Save (on Windows) or Premiere Pro > Preferences > Auto Save (on Mac)
2. Make sure Automatically save projects is checked
3. Set how often you want it to save
4. Choose how many versions you want Premiere to keep

Once that’s set, Premiere will quietly save versions of your project in the background, just in case something goes wrong.

Still, it’s a good idea to hit Ctrl + S (Windows) or Command + S (Mac) often, just for peace of mind.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you undo something on Premiere Pro?

You can undo by pressing Ctrl + Z on Windows or Command + Z on Mac. This reverses your last action instantly. You can also go to Edit > Undo from the top menu if you prefer using menus instead of shortcuts.

What is the opposite of Ctrl + Z in Premiere Pro?

The opposite is Redo, which brings back an action you just undid. Use Ctrl + Shift + Z on Windows or Command + Shift + Z on Mac. It works step-by-step just like Undo but moves forward instead of backward.

What does Ctrl Y do in Premiere Pro?

In Premiere Pro, Ctrl + Y doesn’t have a default function assigned like it does in some other programs (such as Redo in Photoshop). For Redo in Premiere, use Ctrl + Shift + Z.

How do you reverse something in Premiere Pro?

If you're trying to reverse a clip's playback direction:

1. Right-click the clip
2. Choose Speed/Duration
3. Check the box for Reverse Speed
4. Click OK

This will make your clip play backward without affecting its position on the timeline.