How to uncommit my last commit in Git

By Ali Adnan

To uncommit your last commit in Git, you can use the git reset command. This will move the HEAD and the current branch pointer to the specified commit, essentially “undoing” the last commit. There are two main options to consider when using git reset: --soft and --hard.

git reset --soft

To uncommit your last commit while keeping your changes in the staging area, you can use the --soft option:

git reset --soft HEAD~1

This command moves the HEAD and the current branch pointer to the previous commit (indicated by HEAD~1). Your changes will still be staged, and you can modify, recommit, or unstage them as needed.

git reset --hard

If you want to uncommit your last commit and discard the changes entirely, you can use the --hard option:

git reset --hard HEAD~1

This command will move the HEAD and the current branch pointer to the previous commit and discard any changes associated with the last commit. Be cautious when using this option, as it permanently removes changes and cannot be undone.

In both cases, if you have already pushed your changes to a remote repository, you’ll need to force-push the branch after resetting the commit:

git push -f origin <branch-name>

Be cautious when force-pushing, as it can cause issues for others collaborating on the same branch. It’s generally recommended to communicate with your team before performing a force-push.

If you have already pushed your changes to a remote repository and you want to undo the last commit without causing issues for others, you can create a new commit that undoes the changes introduced by the last commit. This can be achieved using the git revert command:

git revert HEAD

This command will create a new commit that undoes the changes made in the last commit. The advantage of using git revert is that it does not rewrite the history of your branch, and is thus safer for collaboration.

After running git revert, you can push the new commit to the remote repository:

git push origin <branch-name>

In summary, when working with a remote repository and collaborating with others, it’s generally safer to use git revert to undo the last commit, rather than resetting the commit and force-pushing. This approach maintains a clean and understandable commit history while avoiding potential issues for your teammates.