How to revert a commit in Git

How to revert a commit in Git

Undo a commit in Git using revert, reset, or amend depending on whether it has been pushed.

Prerequisites

• Git installed.

Step-by-Step: Revert a Commit in Git

1. Revert a pushed commit— create a new commit that undoes the changes. git revert is safe for shared branches because it does not rewrite history:

   git revert abc1234

2. Undo the last unpushed commit— remove the commit but keep the changes staged:

   git reset --soft HEAD~1

3. Discard the last unpushed commit entirely— remove the commit and discard all changes:

   git reset --hard HEAD~1

4. Amend the last commit— modify the message or add forgotten files without creating a new commit:

   git add forgotten-file.txt
   git commit --amend -m "Updated commit message"

Common Issues When Reverting in Git

git reset --hard permanently discards uncommitted changes. Use git stash to save work in progress before resetting. Never use git reset on commits that have been pushed to a shared branch — use git revert instead.