Undo Last Commit in Git: Keep Changes or Remove Commit Safely (2026 Guide)
If you just made a bad commit, the fix depends on one question: do you want to keep your file changes? In most cases you do, and the right command is git reset --soft HEAD~1 or git reset HEAD~1.
This guide gives exact copy/paste commands for all common cases: keep changes staged, keep changes unstaged, discard everything, and safely undo a commit that is already pushed.
Table of contents
1. Copy/paste commands
Undo last commit and keep changes staged (most common)
git reset --soft HEAD~1Undo last commit and keep changes unstaged
git reset HEAD~1
# same as: git reset --mixed HEAD~1Undo last commit and discard all tracked changes (destructive)
git reset --hard HEAD~1Undo last pushed commit safely on shared branch
git revert HEAD
git push origin <branch>Undo last 3 commits and keep everything staged
git reset --soft HEAD~3git status before and after undo commands. It confirms whether changes are staged, unstaged, or discarded.
2. Which command should you use?
| Your goal | Command | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Remove commit, keep all changes staged | git reset --soft HEAD~1 |
Commit removed, files still staged |
| Remove commit, keep changes but unstage | git reset HEAD~1 |
Commit removed, files unstaged |
| Remove commit and throw away tracked edits | git reset --hard HEAD~1 |
Commit and tracked changes deleted |
| Undo pushed commit without rewriting history | git revert HEAD |
New inverse commit is created |
git reset --hard is destructive. If you are not 100% sure, use --soft or --mixed first, or stash changes before hard reset.
3. Local commit workflows
Case A: Commit message is wrong
Use soft reset, then recommit with a corrected message:
git reset --soft HEAD~1
git commit -m "Correct message"Case B: You committed too early and want to edit files
Use mixed reset to unstage and keep files editable:
git reset HEAD~1
# edit files
# then stage only what you want
git add -p
git commit -m "Better scoped commit"Case C: Split one bad commit into two clean commits
git reset HEAD~1
git add -p
git commit -m "Part 1"
git add -p
git commit -m "Part 2"If you frequently do this, the deeper command behavior is covered in Git Reset: Soft, Mixed, Hard & Keep.
4. Already pushed commit workflows
On shared branches, prefer git revert because it does not rewrite public history:
# revert latest commit
git revert HEAD
git push origin main
# revert a specific commit
git revert <commit-hash>
git push origin mainUse force-push workflows only on private branches where nobody else depends on that history.
5. Recovery if you used the wrong command
If you accidentally ran git reset --hard and lost a commit, check reflog immediately:
git reflog
# find the commit before the reset, then:
git reset --hard <that-hash>Reflog usually recovers committed history. It cannot recover uncommitted edits that were never recorded.
6. FAQ
Can I undo the last commit without changing files at all?
Yes. git reset --soft HEAD~1 removes the commit while preserving your exact file state and staging state.
What is the difference between HEAD^ and HEAD~1?
For normal commits they are equivalent. For merge commits, HEAD^ refers to the first parent and HEAD~1 follows the first-parent chain by one step.
Can I undo only the latest pushed merge commit?
Yes, but use git revert -m 1 <merge-hash>. See Git Revert a Merge Commit for the exact parent-selection workflow.
Where do I learn full reset vs revert vs restore decisions?
Use Git Undo: Reset, Revert & Restore for the full decision map.
How do I undo git add after resetting?
Run git restore --staged <file> or git restore --staged .. Detailed examples are in Undo git add.