Interactions · Error tolerance

Undo

Also called: Undo/Redo, Ctrl+Z, Undo toast

Lets users reverse what they just did, like clicking "Undo" in a message after deleting something, or pressing Ctrl+Z to step back while editing.

Example

In detail

Undo comes in two common forms. One is an "Undo" button after an action: after deleting an email or archiving a task, a toast pops up at the bottom saying "Deleted. Undo," and clicking Undo within a few seconds brings it back. The other is history in an editor: press Ctrl+Z (Cmd+Z on Mac) to step back one action at a time, and Ctrl+Shift+Z to redo.

"Delete + undo" and "confirm first" are two ways to handle risky actions. Undo doesn't interrupt the user, so things flow better, and it suits actions that can be reversed. A confirmation interrupts the user, and it suits actions that can't be reversed. When undo is possible, prefer it.

In practice, a delete usually doesn't really happen right away. The item is hidden in the UI first, and the API is called after the toast disappears. Or the backend uses a soft delete.

Developer infoTerm ID, DOM cues, match priority

Term ID: interaction-undo
DOM selectors: No DOM cues. This concept isn't detected directly on a page.
Priority: 1 · when several match at the same level, the higher priority wins
Version: v1 · updated Sep 29, 2026