Git is easy until it isn't. Here are five mistakes everyone makes, and how to fix each in one line.
1. "I committed to the wrong branch"
git switch correct-branch git cherry-pick <commit-hash> git switch wrong-branch git reset --hard HEAD~1 Copy the commit over, then remove it from the wrong branch.
2. "I need to undo my last commit"
Pick based on what you want to keep:
| Command | Commit | Staged | Files |
|---|---|---|---|
git reset --soft HEAD~1 | removed | kept | kept |
git reset --mixed HEAD~1 | removed | removed | kept |
git reset --hard HEAD~1 | removed | removed | deleted |
Source: DataCamp (credit the original)
Already pushed? Use git revert <hash>. It adds a new commit instead of rewriting history.
3. "I lost my work after a bad reset"
You probably didn't. Git remembers where HEAD has been:
git reflog git reset --hard <hash-from-reflog> 4. Merge or rebase?
Source: ByteByteGo (credit the original)
- Merge: keeps full history, safe for shared branches.
- Rebase: gives a clean linear history, but never rebase a branch others are using.
5. "I committed a secret or a huge file"
git rm --cached .env echo ".env" >> .gitignore git commit -m "Stop tracking .env" If it was pushed, rotate the key and scrub history with git filter-repo.
Cheat sheet
git stash # save work temporarily git stash pop # bring it back git commit --amend # fix the last commit message git restore <file> # discard changes to a file git log --oneline --graph # see history visually TL;DR
- Wrong branch?
cherry-pick+reset - Undo locally?
reset. Undo pushed?revert - Lost something?
git reflog - Shared branch? Merge, don't rebase
What's your worst Git horror story? Tell me in the comments. 👇
