Undoing Finder Actions

The Mac OS X Finder includes limited support for the Undo command, which can reverse the most recently completed action. Say, for example, that you move a file from one folder to another folder. If you immediately change your mind, you can choose Edit > Undo Move (Figure 52) to put the file back where it was.

Figure 52. The Undo command enables you to undo the last action you performed.

Tips

• Don't depend on the Undo command. Unfortunately, it isn't available for all actions (Figure 53).

  Figure 53. If an action cannot be undone,the words Can 't Undo will appear at the top of the Edit menu in gray.

  

  
  

• The exact wording of the Undo command varies depending on the action and the item it was performed on. In Figure 52, for example, the command is Undo Move of "Letter to Editor" because the last action was to move a document icon named Letter to Editor.

• The Undo command is also available (and generally more reliable) in most Mac OS applications. You'll usually find it at the top of the Edit menu.

To undo an action

Immediately after performing an action, choose Edit > Undo action description (Figure 52), or press . The action is reversed.

To redo an action

Immediately after undoing an action, choose Edit > Redo action description (Figure 54). The action is redoneas if you never used the Undo command.

Figure 54. The Redo command undoes the Undo command.

Tip

• .Think of the Redo command as the Undo-Undo command since it undoes the Undo command.