woman holding baby using phone in kitchen multitasking
It's easy to quickly undo text on your iPhone.
MoMo Productions/Getty Images
  • You can undo and redo typing on an iPhone by giving your device a quick shake.
  • If you’ve accidentally deleted some text because of the shake feature, just give your iPhone another shake to redo your typing.
  • Convenient “Select” and “Cut” features can help you delete (and paste) portions of text or entire bodies of text with just a few taps.
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When typing on your iPhone, there are a few simple tricks to know that can help you edit text messages or notes without having to tap or hold down the delete button. 

A quick shake, for example, prompts a pop-up to undo your typing, and another quick shake reverses this action and restores your text. Here’s how it’s done.

How to undo typing on an iPhone using the shake feature

1. After typing text in your Messages, Notes, Mail, or other app, give your iPhone a quick shake.

2. When the “Undo Typing” pop-up appears, tap “Undo” to delete the text you just typed.

undo text 1
After shaking your phone to make the pop-up appear, select "Undo."
Abigail Abesamis/Business Insider

3. If you’ve received this pop-up by accident and do not wish to undo your typing, tap “Cancel.”

How to redo typing on an iPhone using the shake feature

1. If you've accidentally selected "Undo Typing" and wish to restore your text, give your iPhone another quick shake.

2. When the "Redo Typing" pop-up appears, tap "Redo Typing."

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Select "Redo" to make the deleted text appear again.
Abigail Abesamis/Business Insider

How to delete portions of a text or note on an iPhone

1. Tap next to the word or words you want to delete.

2. Tap "Select."

undo text4
In the small pop-up, choose "Select."
Abigail Abesamis/Business Insider

3. Move the brackets to include the text you want to delete.

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Use the brackets to select a portion of the text.
Abigail Abesamis/Business Insider

4. Tap "Cut" to delete the text. This will also save the text to your clipboard so you can paste it elsewhere.

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Select "Cut" to delete the text.
Abigail Abesamis/Business Insider

5. To undo this action, give your iPhone a quick shake and tap "Undo." 

How to delete the contents of an entire text or note on an iPhone

1. Tap anywhere in the body of text.

2. Tap "Select all."

3. Tap "Cut" to delete the text.

4. To undo this action, give your iPhone a quick shake and tap "Undo." Alternatively, you can tap again and select "Paste" to paste the deleted text back in.

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