To undo recent changes, use the undo command:

• u: undo last change (can be repeated to undo preceding commands)
• Ctrl-R: Redo changes which were undone (undo the undos). Compare to '.' to repeat a previous change, at the current cursor position. Ctrl-R will redo a previously undone change, wherever the change occurred.

A related command is:

• U: return the last line which was modified to its original state (reverse all changes in last modified line)

U is not actually a true "undo" command as it does not actually navigate undo history like u and CTRL-R. This means that (somewhat confusingly) U is itself undo-able with u; it creates a new change to reverse previous changes.

U is seldom useful in practice, but is often accidentally pressed instead of u, so it is good to know about.

See also

• Recover from accidental Ctrl-U, which explains what constitutes a change which can be undone.
• Using undo branches, which explains Vim's unique and very powerful undo tree.

References

• :help undo

Comments

Ctrl-R means to hold down the Ctrl key then press the R key. Note that you do not press the Shift key. Vim documentation uses traditional computer terminology including CTRL-R. In keeping with a more modern approach, we generally use "Ctrl" rather than "CTRL" on this wiki. The tips are not entirely consistent regarding whether to write Ctrl-R or Ctrl-r, but mostly Ctrl-R is preferred. JohnBeckett 10:04, March 18, 2010 (UTC)