The fastest way depends on what you're deleting
To delete a single character, place your cursor right after it and press Backspace, or place your cursor right before it and press Delete. For larger chunks of text, select what you want gone first, then press Delete or Backspace — the selection disappears either way. On phones and tablets, tap and hold to select, then tap Delete or the trash icon. The method stays the same across most apps: select, then delete.
If you delete something by accident, press Ctrl+Z (Windows) or Command+Z (Mac) immediately to undo. Most apps keep an undo history, so you can undo multiple times if needed. Some apps like Google Docs and Microsoft Word show an undo arrow in the toolbar you can click instead.
Key Takeaways
- Backspace deletes the character before your cursor; Delete removes the character after it.
- Select text by clicking and dragging with a mouse, or by tapping and holding on a phone, then press Delete to remove it all at once.
- Ctrl+Z or Command+Z undoes a deletion if you change your mind within seconds or minutes, depending on the app.
- Double-clicking a word selects just that word; triple-clicking selects an entire paragraph or line.
- On phones, swipe left or right on selected text to delete it, or use the delete button that appears in the menu.
Selecting text before you delete it
Selecting text first is faster than deleting character by character. Click at the start of what you want to remove, hold down the mouse button, and drag to the end. Release the mouse, and the text turns highlighted. Then press Delete or Backspace to remove it all.
Keyboard shortcuts speed this up. Hold Shift and press the right arrow key to select one character at a time. Hold Shift and press Ctrl+Right Arrow (Windows) or Command+Right Arrow (Mac) to select one word at a time. Hold Shift and press End to select from your cursor to the end of the line, or Shift+Home to select to the beginning.
Double-click any word to select just that word. Triple-click to select an entire line or paragraph, depending on the app. This works in email, documents, text messages, and web forms.
Deleting on phones and tablets
On iPhones and iPads, tap once to place your cursor, then tap again to see the selection handles — two blue dots. Drag these dots to highlight the text you want to remove. A menu appears with options including Cut, Copy, and Delete. Tap Delete, or just press the delete key on the keyboard.
On Android phones, long-press (tap and hold) the text you want to select. A menu appears with selection handles. Drag to expand the selection, then tap Delete or press the delete key. Some apps show a trash icon instead — tap that to remove the text.
On both platforms, you can also select all text at once by tapping the menu button (three dots or lines) and choosing Select All, then Delete. This clears the entire message or field.
Undoing and redoing deletions
If you delete something and immediately realize you need it back, press Ctrl+Z (Windows) or Command+Z (Mac) to undo. Most apps remember your last 10 to 50 actions, so you can undo multiple times by pressing the shortcut repeatedly. On phones, look for an undo arrow in the toolbar or swipe with three fingers to undo.
After you undo, you can redo the deletion by pressing Ctrl+Y (Windows) or Command+Y (Mac). This moves forward through your undo history. Some apps show undo and redo arrows in the toolbar instead of requiring keyboard shortcuts.
Be aware that closing a document without saving usually clears the undo history. If you close a file and reopen it, you cannot undo deletions from before you closed it. Google Docs and similar cloud apps keep version history, so you can recover older versions even after closing.
Deleting in specific apps and platforms
In Gmail and other email, select the message and press Delete or click the trash icon. The message moves to Trash and stays there for 30 days before permanent deletion. To permanently delete immediately, open Trash and delete again.
In text messages on iPhone, swipe left on the message thread and tap Delete. On Android, long-press the message and tap Delete. In messaging apps like WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger, long-press the message and choose Delete Message.
In Google Docs and Microsoft Word, select the text and press Delete. Both apps show your undo history in the toolbar. Google Docs also keeps a version history — click File and look for Version History to see all changes and recover older versions of the document.
In web forms and search bars, triple-click to select all text, then press Delete. Some forms have a Clear button that does this automatically.
Clearing entire fields or documents
To delete everything in a text field at once, press Ctrl+A (Windows) or Command+A (Mac) to select all, then press Delete. This works in email compose windows, search bars, text editors, and web forms.
In a document, Ctrl+A selects all text on the current page in some apps, but in Google Docs and Word it selects the entire document. Be careful — deleting all text in a document cannot always be undone if you close without saving. Use Ctrl+Z immediately if you delete by accident.
Some apps have a Clear or Reset button in the menu instead. Look for it under Edit or in the app's settings menu.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between Backspace and Delete?
Backspace removes the character to the left of your cursor. Delete removes the character to the right. On phones, both usually work the same way — they delete whatever is selected or the character before the cursor. The choice between them is mostly about where your cursor is positioned.
Can I recover text after I close the document?
It depends on the app. Google Docs and Microsoft Word keep version history, so you can recover older versions. Most other apps do not save undo history after you close. Always use Ctrl+Z immediately if you delete by accident, before closing the file.
How do I select text without a mouse?
Use Shift and arrow keys. Hold Shift and press the right or left arrow to select one character at a time. Hold Shift and Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac) and press the right arrow to select one word at a time. Hold Shift and End to select to the end of the line.
Why won't Delete work on my phone?
Make sure you have text selected first. Tap and hold the text until selection handles appear, then drag to highlight what you want to remove. If the delete key on the keyboard does not work, look for a Delete option in the menu that appears when you select text.
Can I delete just part of a word?
Yes. Click or tap right before or after the part you want to remove, then select just those characters and press Delete. You do not have to select the whole word — you can select and delete any portion of text, letter by letter or in chunks.