DaVinci Resolve 20 tutorial
How to Undo in DaVinci Resolve: Undo, Redo and History
A focused answer to a common DaVinci Resolve question: how to undo an action, restore an undone step, use history and avoid relying on Undo as a substitute for project backups.
Ctrl+Z on Windows and Cmd+Z on macOS
The standard Undo command is Ctrl+Z on Windows and Cmd+Z on macOS. It is one of the most important shortcuts while learning ripple edits, trimming and structural timeline changes.
- Windows: Ctrl+Z.
- macOS: Cmd+Z.
- Menu: Edit → Undo.
Redo restores an undone action
Use Edit → Redo when you undo one step too far. Verify the actual keystroke in Keyboard Customization because custom and imported presets can change assignments.
History is safer than pressing Undo repeatedly
Resolve can expose the sequence of actions available for undo and redo. When you are unsure how far back to go, history is more controlled than blindly pressing Undo many times.
Undo behavior can vary by page
Resolve combines Edit, Fusion, Color and Fairlight, and some pages maintain context-specific histories. Color work, for example, has clip-oriented undo/redo behavior.
Important
Undo is not a replacement for Project Backups. Enable backups and duplicate important timelines before major changes.
If Ctrl+Z does not work
- Confirm DaVinci Resolve has keyboard focus.
- Open Edit and check whether Undo is available.
- Search for Undo in Keyboard Customization.
- Check whether a third-party preset changed the mapping.
- Temporarily switch to the default DaVinci Resolve preset for comparison.
Summary
Ctrl/Cmd+Z is the fastest one-step recovery tool, while History and Project Backups are better for controlled recovery from larger changes.
Keyboard shortcuts by topic
For a deeper explanation of a specific group of commands, open the corresponding shortcut guide below.
- All DaVinci Resolve keyboard shortcuts — Core shortcuts and links to every section of the reference.
- DaVinci Resolve Playback and Navigation Shortcuts: J, K, L and Frame Control — Drive the viewer and timeline without the mouse: Space, arrow keys, J/K/L, slow playback and In/Out marks.
- DaVinci Resolve Cutting and Trim Keyboard Shortcuts — Ctrl/Cmd+B, Blade, Trim Start/End to Playhead and ripple behavior without constant tool switching.
- DaVinci Resolve Timeline Shortcuts: Overwrite, Place on Top, Clips and Gaps — Structural timeline commands: F10, F12, Enable Clip, Insert versus Overwrite and gap cleanup.
- How to Customize DaVinci Resolve Keyboard Shortcuts and Presets — Open Keyboard Customization, search commands, assign keys, resolve conflicts and move your preset between systems.