Undo, history and before and after
Step back through your edits, jump to any point in the History panel, pin snapshots, and compare with and without adjustments.
Beginner3 min readUpdated 25 September 2026Editor · History
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Every change you make in the Editor is recorded as a named step. You can undo one step at a time, jump straight to any earlier step, or pin a snapshot to come back to. Knowing the limits helps you decide when to rely on undo and when to save a version.
Undo and redo
- Ctrl+Z
- Undo
- Ctrl+Shift+Z
- Redo
- Ctrl+Y
- Redo
- \ (hold)
- See the design before adjustments and filters
Undo and Redo are also at the top of the Edit menu. On a Mac, use Cmd where it says Ctrl. With touch, tap with two fingers to undo and three fingers to redo. On a phone, the undo and redo arrows sit in the top bar.
The History panel
The History panel is docked in the Essentials and Photo workspaces. If you are in the default Simple workspace, switch with Window, Workspace, Essentials. It lists every step, oldest first, each with a name such as Add board, Opacity or Nudge, and the time.
- Click any step to jump the design back to that moment. Steps after it turn grey.
- If you then make a new change, the grey steps are discarded and your new change becomes the latest step.
- Hover a step and click its × to delete just that step. The first step cannot be deleted.
- The footer shows how many steps you have, the limit, and the memory they use.
Snapshots
A snapshot pins the current state with a name, above the list of steps. Click the camera icon, New snapshot, at the bottom of the History panel. Snapshots are named Snapshot 1, Snapshot 2 and so on. Click one to return to it, or hover and click × to remove it.
Use snapshots to compare two directions: take a snapshot, try something bold, then click the snapshot to see the earlier state again.
How many steps are kept
Open Edit, Preferences… (Ctrl+,), then History and saving, or click the History settings button at the bottom of the History panel.
| Setting | Range | Starts at | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| Undo steps kept | 20 to 500 | 100 | The most steps kept. Older steps drop off. |
| Memory for undo | 200 to 4000 MB | 1200 MB | When undo uses more memory than this, the oldest steps are dropped first, so the browser never runs out. |
Painting on big photos uses much more memory per step than moving text, so on large images you may have fewer steps than the limit. The last five steps are always kept.
Before and after
Hold the backslash key (\) to hide every adjustment layer and filter layer. A label reads "Before: adjustments and filters hidden". Let go to see them again. View, Before and after (hold \) shows the before view for a moment if you prefer a menu.
This compares your colour and filter work only. Painting, masks, moved layers and layer styles stay as they are. To compare against an earlier state of everything, use a snapshot or the History panel.
Common problems
- Undo is empty after reopening a design. Undo steps and snapshots are kept only while the design is open. Opening, switching to another tab, or closing the design clears them. Use Version history for restore points that last.
- Old steps have gone. You reached the step limit or the memory limit. Raise either in Preferences, or save a version before big changes.
- Hold \ does nothing. Nothing to hide: the before view only hides adjustment and filter layers. See Adjustment layers.
- Keys do nothing while typing. Shortcuts pause while a text box has focus. Click the canvas first.