The basic way to edit text you've already typed
On iPhone, you can fix text in two ways: tap to place your cursor where you want to change something, or select a block of text to replace or delete it all at once. The cursor is a thin vertical line that appears where your finger taps. Once it's there, you can use the delete key to remove characters one at a time, or type new text to insert it.
To select a word, double-tap it. The word highlights in blue and two handles (small circles) appear above and below. To select more text, tap and drag one of those handles to expand the selection. You can also tap once to place your cursor, then hold your finger down until the magnifying glass appears, which makes it easier to see exactly where you're pointing.
Once text is selected, you can delete it by pressing the delete key, or replace it by typing new text. The new text automatically overwrites what you selected.
Key Takeaways
- Double-tap any word to select it, then drag the blue handles to expand your selection to multiple words or sentences.
- Tap once to place your cursor, then use the delete key to remove characters one at a time or type to insert new text.
- Use the magnifying glass (hold your finger down after tapping) to see exactly where your cursor is in dense text.
- The undo button in the top-left corner of most apps reverses your last change; swipe left with three fingers to undo across the whole phone.
- Copy, cut, and paste appear in a menu above selected text; tap the arrow to see more options like "Replace" or "Define".
Using the undo and redo buttons
Most iPhone apps have an undo button in the top-left corner, usually shaped like a curved arrow pointing left. Tap it once to reverse your last change. Tap it again to undo the change before that, and keep tapping to go back through your edits one by one.
If you undo something and then decide you want it back, tap the redo button (the arrow pointing right, usually next to undo). You can also undo across your entire phone by swiping left with three fingers on the screen. This works in Notes, Mail, Messages, and most text-editing apps, though not all of them.
Redo only works if you've just undone something. Once you make a new edit after undoing, you can no longer redo the change you reversed.
Copy, paste, and the editing menu
Select the text you want to copy by double-tapping a word and dragging the handles. A menu appears above the selection with options: tap Copy to save it to your clipboard. You can then tap in a different app or location, tap once to place your cursor, and tap Paste to insert the copied text.
Cut works the same way as copy, except it removes the text from where it was. If you tap the arrow on the right side of the menu, you'll see more options: Replace (which opens a search box to find and swap text), Define (which shows the dictionary meaning of a selected word), and Translate (available in some apps and iOS versions).
The clipboard on iPhone holds only one piece of copied text at a time. If you copy something new, it replaces what you copied before. Some apps like Notes let you see your clipboard history by holding down the paste button, but this varies by app.
Finding and replacing text in Notes and Mail
In the Notes app, open the note you want to edit and tap the three dots (menu button) in the top-right corner. Tap Find and Replace. Type the text you want to find in the first box and the text you want to replace it with in the second box. Tap Replace All to change every instance at once, or tap Replace one at a time to review each change before it happens.
In Mail, open an email you're composing (not one you've received). Tap in the body of the email, then select the text you want to replace. Tap the arrow in the editing menu and choose Replace. Type what you want to search for and what you want to replace it with, then tap Replace All or go through one at a time.
Not all apps have a find-and-replace feature. If you don't see it in the menu, you can still select and delete text manually, or copy text from elsewhere and paste it in.
Fixing autocorrect and predictive text
When you type, iPhone suggests words as you go. If you see a suggestion you don't want, just keep typing — the suggestion disappears. If you accidentally tap a suggestion and it inserts the wrong word, tap the word once to select it, then tap the suggestion bar that appears above the keyboard. You'll see the word you typed originally, plus other options. Tap the one you want.
If iPhone keeps autocorrecting a word you use often (like a name or slang term), tap the word when it appears in the suggestion bar and hold your finger down. A menu appears with the option to add it to your dictionary. After that, iPhone will stop correcting it.
You can also turn off autocorrect entirely in Settings > General > Keyboard, but most people find it helpful once they learn how to override it quickly.
Selecting all text at once
To select everything in a text field or document, tap once to place your cursor anywhere in the text. Then tap the arrow on the right side of the editing menu (or tap and hold if no menu appears) until you see Select All. Tap it. All the text in that field highlights in blue.
Once everything is selected, you can copy it, cut it, delete it, or replace it by typing. This is faster than dragging handles across a long document.
In some apps like Notes, you can also use the keyboard shortcut Command-A (if you have a keyboard connected) to select all text.
Editing text in different apps
The basic steps — tap to place your cursor, double-tap to select a word, drag handles to expand — work the same way across most iPhone apps. But some apps add their own tools. In Notes, you can format text as bold, italic, or underlined by selecting it and tapping the formatting button. In Mail, you have the same options plus the ability to change text color or add a link.
In Messages, you can select text and tap the menu to see options like Copy, More (which lets you select multiple messages at once), or Translate (if the message is in another language). Third-party apps like Google Docs or Microsoft Word have their own editing menus, but the core method of selecting and placing your cursor stays the same.
If an app doesn't seem to respond to the standard tap-and-drag method, try tapping once and holding your finger down for a second. This often brings up the editing menu if the app uses a non-standard interface.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my cursor jump to the end of the text when I try to edit?
This usually happens when you tap too quickly or too close to the edge of the text field. Try tapping more slowly and deliberately in the middle of the word you want to edit. If it keeps happening, try using the magnifying glass method: tap once and hold your finger down until the magnifying glass appears, then drag to position your cursor exactly where you want it.
Can I edit text in a screenshot or photo?
Not directly. You can copy text from a photo using Live Text (available on iPhone 15 and some earlier models): open the photo, tap and hold the text, and choose Copy. Then paste it into Notes or another app to edit it. For screenshots, the same method works if your iPhone supports Live Text.
How do I undo a change across multiple apps?
The three-finger swipe left works within most Apple apps like Notes, Mail, and Messages, but not across different apps. If you need to undo something you did in one app and then switched to another, you'll need to go back to that app and undo there.
What's the difference between cut and delete?
Cut removes the text and saves it to your clipboard so you can paste it somewhere else. Delete removes the text permanently and doesn't save it. If you want to move text from one place to another, use cut. If you just want to remove it, use delete.
Can I edit text that someone sent me in a message?
No, you can't edit someone else's message. You can only copy it and paste it into a note or new message if you want to modify it. If you want to edit your own message in Messages, swipe left on it and tap Edit (this works on iPhone 16 and some earlier models with recent iOS versions).