Git Reset

git reset moves the branch pointer backwards to undo commits, and optionally changes what's in the staging area and working directory. Use it carefully — it rewrites history and can lose work.

The Three Modes of git reset

git reset has three modes that control how much gets undone:

Mode	Commits	Staging Area	Working Directory
--soft	Undone	Unchanged (changes staged)	Unchanged
--mixed (default)	Undone	Cleared	Unchanged
--hard	Undone	Cleared	Cleared

Unstage a File (Mixed Reset)

Remove a file from the staging area without touching the working directory:

git reset HEAD filename.txt

Or with the clearer newer command:

git restore --staged filename.txt

Undo the Last Commit but Keep the Changes Staged (Soft Reset)

The commit is removed but all its changes remain staged:

git reset --soft HEAD~1

Undo the Last Commit and Unstage the Changes (Mixed Reset)

The commit is removed and changes return to the working directory as unstaged:

git reset HEAD~1

Undo the Last Commit and Discard All Changes (Hard Reset)

warning

--hard permanently discards all changes in the commit and any uncommitted changes in your working directory. This cannot be undone easily.

git reset --hard HEAD~1

Reset to a Specific Commit

git reset --hard a3f6f1c

All commits after a3f6f1c are removed from the branch. Changes they introduced are lost.

Recover from an Accidental Hard Reset

If you reset too far, git reflog can save you. The reflog records every position HEAD has been at:

git reflog

Find the commit hash you want to return to, then:

git reset --hard <hash-from-reflog>

tip

--soft is the safest reset. Use it when you want to redo a commit message or combine several commits into one.

Never use git reset to undo commits that have already been pushed to a shared branch. Use git revert instead.

Common Mistakes

Using --hard without realising changes will be lost — changes discarded by --hard don't go to the staging area or the trash. They're gone unless you have them in git reflog or a remote backup.

Running git reset on a shared branch — if you reset commits and then force push, every collaborator who has pulled those commits will have diverged history. Only reset on local private branches.

Forgetting that git reset HEAD~1 is --mixed by default — after this, your changes are unstaged but still in the working directory. Add and commit them again when you're ready.

---

Next Steps: Saving Work-in-Progress with git stash