The Notes app on your iPhone or iPad can be immensely useful, whether you use it to jot down your thoughts or save important information. But making a mistake in the app can become increasingly frustrating, especially when you delete some important information or type in something incorrectly.
Fortunately, there are multiple ways to undo a mistake in the Notes app, which we’ll cover below.
How to Undo in Notes Using Shake to Undo
The easiest method to undo typing in the Notes app is using the Shake feature. After typing some text or making an edit, give your iPhone or iPad a quick shake. This will bring up the Undo Typing popup. Tap on Undo to delete the text you just typed or undo the change you made.
If you’ve accidentally selected Undo Typing and wish to restore your text, give your iPhone another quick shake. This will bring up the Redo Typing popup, which you can tap on to bring back the deleted text or redo your last edit.
The Shake to Undo feature is enabled in iOS and iPadOS by default. If you want to turn it off, you can do so from Settings > General > Accessibility > Shake to Undo.
Keep in mind that turning this off will disable it for all apps that support this gesture, which includes Messages, Mail, Twitter, Gmail, WhatsApp, and so on. We’d recommend keeping it on unless you have a specific reason to turn it off.
How to Undo in Notes Using the Undo Button
Although useful, the Shake to Undo feature can sometimes be a bit annoying. For example, if you’re using Notes as a research tool in class, it may look weird to shake your iPhone or iPad back and forth.
An alternate for undoing a mistake on your iPhone or iPad is using the Undo button in Notes. The button isn’t that obvious at first, but it’s quite easy to access and use.
To undo a mistake you’ve made, click on the Markup icon (located at the end of the bottom menu). This should bring up the Undo and Redo arrow buttons at the top of the screen. Tapping on these will allow you to undo or redo any mistakes made.
How to Undo in Notes Using Finger Gestures
You can also undo a mistake in Notes using finger gestures. This is easier for iPad users (since they have a bigger screen size), but you can also do these gestures on your iPhone.
To undo on an iPhone, simply double-tap with three fingers anywhere on the screen. This will undo your last typed-in text. You can also swipe with three fingers to the left of the screen, which will also undo your last change. The Undo notification will appear at the top of the screen—confirming that your last action has been undone.
To redo something after undoing it, swipe with three fingers to the right side of the screen. This will also show the Redo notification at the top of the note.
Another additional gesture you can use is tap using three fingers. This will bring up a prompt of action buttons, including buttons to undo, redo, cut, copy and paste. You can use the undo button to carry out the undo action. This is much more helpful in some instances, for example, if you’re creating or formatting tables in Notes and want to undo a change.
How to Undo in Notes Using an External Keyboard
If you’re using an external keyboard with your iPhone or iPad, undoing a mistake is very easy. Simply use the normal keyboard shortcuts like on a Mac while using the Notes app—Cmd + Z to undo and Shift + Cmd + Z to redo.
Master the Notes App to Boost Your Productivity
As mentioned before, Notes can be a very handy application if you use it well. The possibility of creating lists, drawing sketches, making handwritten notes, inserting photos, and sharing them with teammates makes it one of the most useful apps on iOS or iPadOS.
And with the right gestures, you can perform certain tasks in the Notes app relatively quickly. Sure, there’s a learning curve to it, but with practice and patience, you’ll be able to master the Notes app in no time.