Accidentally deleted a task that was meant to stay? Removed a reminder instead of completing it? Find out here how to undo Delete for a task in Apple Reminders for Mac, iPhone and iPad ⤓.
First, Not Enough Pot per Basil
You get a lot of basil when basil you buy in a supermarket’s pot. Usually, you get way too much for the size of the pot.
So, if you do not eat the plants whole and all at once but want to keep them, say in your garden or the kitchen window, it pays to first undo what has been done: separate the individual plantlets and give them room to grow in a raised bed with enough space in between or separate pots.
Now, with this task done, let’s turn to undoing what has been perhaps erroneously deleted:
How to Recover a Deleted Task in Apple Reminders (Undo Delete)
In Reminders for Mac
Time needed: 2 minutes
To undo a "Delete" and restore a task you have deleted in Apple Reminders on a Mac:
- Go to the list Recently Deleted in Apple Reminders.
Here’s how: Select View | Show Sidebar if you do not see the list of lists, then click Recently Deleted at the list’s very bottom.
MacOS < Sequoia: Apple Reminders on macOS before Sequoia does not include the Recently Deleted folder, and tasks are deleted immediately; you cannot undo delete in these versions of Apple Reminders except immediately.
No iCloud: Only lists synchronizing via iCloud offer Recently Deleted and restoring previously deleted tasks; you can still undo deleting a task immediately (see below). - Find the task you want to undelete.
Search: You cannot search the list; spot the task by browsing; tasks are always sorted by order of deletion with the most recently deleted task at the top.
How long: Tasks are kept on the Recently Deleted list for 30 days. - Click on the reminder to restore with the right mouse button.
More than one: You can also highlight multiple tasks (hold down the Command key while you click individual items or hold Shift to select a range), then right-click on any of them.
- Select Move To from the context menu.
“Recover”: You can also select Recover from the item’s three dots menu; this will restore the task to your default list for new tasks.
- Choose the list to which you want the task (or tasks) restored.
Their word: Apple include information on deleting (and recovering) tasks in the Reminders User Guide.
Undo Deleting a Task Immediately
To restore a task after you have deleted it using undo:
- Select Edit | Undo Delete Reminder from the menu in Apple Reminders.
Reminders keyboard shortcut: Press Command Z to undo.
Last action: The undo command will make the last action undone (then the action before that, and so on); if you have done something in Reminders after deleting the task you want to restore, either undo all actions up to and including deletion or turn to the Recently Deleted folder (see above).
Saved a task from digital oblivion?
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Undo “Delete” In Reminders for iPhone
To undelete a task in Apple Reminders for iPhone and iPad:
- Open the folder Recently Deleted.
Here’s how: Swipe in from the left until you are on the page that includes My Lists, then tap Recently Deleted at the bottom of that list. - Locate the task you want to restore.
- Tap the task.
- Select Recover.
Here’s what happens: The task will appear on your Reminders default list.
Restore to specific list: To restore a deleted task to specific list, tap and hold a task, select Move and then choose the desired list.
Restore multiple tasks: Use Select Reminders in the Recently Deleted list’s three dots menu to check multiple items, then tap Move to restore the lot to a desired list.
Undoing just the doing: How to Undo Completing a Task in Apple Reminders for Mac
How to Recover a Deleted Task in Apple Reminders (Undo Delete): FAQ
If I recover a repeating task, what will happen?
Repeating information is removed when you delete a task in Reminders. Do set up repetition again after you have restored the task.
What happens if I restore a completed task?
If you undo deleting a completed task, it will be restored in that state: completed.
Can I recover deleted tasks in Apple Reminders on the web?
No.
Apple Reminders at icloud.com does not display and will not let you access the Recently Deleted list of reminders.
You can recover tasks deleted in Apple Reminders at icloud.com using Apple Reminders for Mac, iPhone and iPad, though. You will find them together with other deleted tasks in the Recently Deleted list.
How long are deleted tasks kept on the “Recently Deleted” list?
Apple Reminders keeps items for 30 days after deletion on the Recently Deleted list.
(Tested with Apple Reminders for Mac 7.0 as well as Reminders on iOS 18.3 and 26; first published February 2025, last updated January 2026)