|  | git-reset(1) | 
|  | ============ | 
|  |  | 
|  | NAME | 
|  | ---- | 
|  | git-reset - Reset current HEAD to the specified state | 
|  |  | 
|  | SYNOPSIS | 
|  | -------- | 
|  | [verse] | 
|  | 'git reset' [-q] [<tree-ish>] [--] <paths>... | 
|  | 'git reset' (--patch | -p) [<tree-ish>] [--] [<paths>...] | 
|  | 'git reset' [--soft | --mixed [-N] | --hard | --merge | --keep] [-q] [<commit>] | 
|  |  | 
|  | DESCRIPTION | 
|  | ----------- | 
|  | In the first and second form, copy entries from <tree-ish> to the index. | 
|  | In the third form, set the current branch head (HEAD) to <commit>, optionally | 
|  | modifying index and working tree to match.  The <tree-ish>/<commit> defaults | 
|  | to HEAD in all forms. | 
|  |  | 
|  | 'git reset' [-q] [<tree-ish>] [--] <paths>...:: | 
|  | This form resets the index entries for all <paths> to their | 
|  | state at <tree-ish>.  (It does not affect the working tree or | 
|  | the current branch.) | 
|  | + | 
|  | This means that `git reset <paths>` is the opposite of `git add | 
|  | <paths>`. | 
|  | + | 
|  | After running `git reset <paths>` to update the index entry, you can | 
|  | use linkgit:git-checkout[1] to check the contents out of the index to | 
|  | the working tree. | 
|  | Alternatively, using linkgit:git-checkout[1] and specifying a commit, you | 
|  | can copy the contents of a path out of a commit to the index and to the | 
|  | working tree in one go. | 
|  |  | 
|  | 'git reset' (--patch | -p) [<tree-ish>] [--] [<paths>...]:: | 
|  | Interactively select hunks in the difference between the index | 
|  | and <tree-ish> (defaults to HEAD).  The chosen hunks are applied | 
|  | in reverse to the index. | 
|  | + | 
|  | This means that `git reset -p` is the opposite of `git add -p`, i.e. | 
|  | you can use it to selectively reset hunks. See the ``Interactive Mode'' | 
|  | section of linkgit:git-add[1] to learn how to operate the `--patch` mode. | 
|  |  | 
|  | 'git reset' [<mode>] [<commit>]:: | 
|  | This form resets the current branch head to <commit> and | 
|  | possibly updates the index (resetting it to the tree of <commit>) and | 
|  | the working tree depending on <mode>. If <mode> is omitted, | 
|  | defaults to "--mixed". The <mode> must be one of the following: | 
|  | + | 
|  | -- | 
|  | --soft:: | 
|  | Does not touch the index file or the working tree at all (but | 
|  | resets the head to <commit>, just like all modes do). This leaves | 
|  | all your changed files "Changes to be committed", as 'git status' | 
|  | would put it. | 
|  |  | 
|  | --mixed:: | 
|  | Resets the index but not the working tree (i.e., the changed files | 
|  | are preserved but not marked for commit) and reports what has not | 
|  | been updated. This is the default action. | 
|  | + | 
|  | If `-N` is specified, removed paths are marked as intent-to-add (see | 
|  | linkgit:git-add[1]). | 
|  |  | 
|  | --hard:: | 
|  | Resets the index and working tree. Any changes to tracked files in the | 
|  | working tree since <commit> are discarded. | 
|  |  | 
|  | --merge:: | 
|  | Resets the index and updates the files in the working tree that are | 
|  | different between <commit> and HEAD, but keeps those which are | 
|  | different between the index and working tree (i.e. which have changes | 
|  | which have not been added). | 
|  | If a file that is different between <commit> and the index has unstaged | 
|  | changes, reset is aborted. | 
|  | + | 
|  | In other words, --merge does something like a 'git read-tree -u -m <commit>', | 
|  | but carries forward unmerged index entries. | 
|  |  | 
|  | --keep:: | 
|  | Resets index entries and updates files in the working tree that are | 
|  | different between <commit> and HEAD. | 
|  | If a file that is different between <commit> and HEAD has local changes, | 
|  | reset is aborted. | 
|  | -- | 
|  |  | 
|  | If you want to undo a commit other than the latest on a branch, | 
|  | linkgit:git-revert[1] is your friend. | 
|  |  | 
|  |  | 
|  | OPTIONS | 
|  | ------- | 
|  |  | 
|  | -q:: | 
|  | --quiet:: | 
|  | Be quiet, only report errors. | 
|  |  | 
|  |  | 
|  | EXAMPLES | 
|  | -------- | 
|  |  | 
|  | Undo add:: | 
|  | + | 
|  | ------------ | 
|  | $ edit                                     <1> | 
|  | $ git add frotz.c filfre.c | 
|  | $ mailx                                    <2> | 
|  | $ git reset                                <3> | 
|  | $ git pull git://info.example.com/ nitfol  <4> | 
|  | ------------ | 
|  | + | 
|  | <1> You are happily working on something, and find the changes | 
|  | in these files are in good order.  You do not want to see them | 
|  | when you run "git diff", because you plan to work on other files | 
|  | and changes with these files are distracting. | 
|  | <2> Somebody asks you to pull, and the changes sounds worthy of merging. | 
|  | <3> However, you already dirtied the index (i.e. your index does | 
|  | not match the HEAD commit).  But you know the pull you are going | 
|  | to make does not affect frotz.c or filfre.c, so you revert the | 
|  | index changes for these two files.  Your changes in working tree | 
|  | remain there. | 
|  | <4> Then you can pull and merge, leaving frotz.c and filfre.c | 
|  | changes still in the working tree. | 
|  |  | 
|  | Undo a commit and redo:: | 
|  | + | 
|  | ------------ | 
|  | $ git commit ... | 
|  | $ git reset --soft HEAD^      <1> | 
|  | $ edit                        <2> | 
|  | $ git commit -a -c ORIG_HEAD  <3> | 
|  | ------------ | 
|  | + | 
|  | <1> This is most often done when you remembered what you | 
|  | just committed is incomplete, or you misspelled your commit | 
|  | message, or both.  Leaves working tree as it was before "reset". | 
|  | <2> Make corrections to working tree files. | 
|  | <3> "reset" copies the old head to .git/ORIG_HEAD; redo the | 
|  | commit by starting with its log message.  If you do not need to | 
|  | edit the message further, you can give -C option instead. | 
|  | + | 
|  | See also the --amend option to linkgit:git-commit[1]. | 
|  |  | 
|  | Undo a commit, making it a topic branch:: | 
|  | + | 
|  | ------------ | 
|  | $ git branch topic/wip     <1> | 
|  | $ git reset --hard HEAD~3  <2> | 
|  | $ git checkout topic/wip   <3> | 
|  | ------------ | 
|  | + | 
|  | <1> You have made some commits, but realize they were premature | 
|  | to be in the "master" branch.  You want to continue polishing | 
|  | them in a topic branch, so create "topic/wip" branch off of the | 
|  | current HEAD. | 
|  | <2> Rewind the master branch to get rid of those three commits. | 
|  | <3> Switch to "topic/wip" branch and keep working. | 
|  |  | 
|  | Undo commits permanently:: | 
|  | + | 
|  | ------------ | 
|  | $ git commit ... | 
|  | $ git reset --hard HEAD~3   <1> | 
|  | ------------ | 
|  | + | 
|  | <1> The last three commits (HEAD, HEAD^, and HEAD~2) were bad | 
|  | and you do not want to ever see them again.  Do *not* do this if | 
|  | you have already given these commits to somebody else.  (See the | 
|  | "RECOVERING FROM UPSTREAM REBASE" section in linkgit:git-rebase[1] for | 
|  | the implications of doing so.) | 
|  |  | 
|  | Undo a merge or pull:: | 
|  | + | 
|  | ------------ | 
|  | $ git pull                         <1> | 
|  | Auto-merging nitfol | 
|  | CONFLICT (content): Merge conflict in nitfol | 
|  | Automatic merge failed; fix conflicts and then commit the result. | 
|  | $ git reset --hard                 <2> | 
|  | $ git pull . topic/branch          <3> | 
|  | Updating from 41223... to 13134... | 
|  | Fast-forward | 
|  | $ git reset --hard ORIG_HEAD       <4> | 
|  | ------------ | 
|  | + | 
|  | <1> Try to update from the upstream resulted in a lot of | 
|  | conflicts; you were not ready to spend a lot of time merging | 
|  | right now, so you decide to do that later. | 
|  | <2> "pull" has not made merge commit, so "git reset --hard" | 
|  | which is a synonym for "git reset --hard HEAD" clears the mess | 
|  | from the index file and the working tree. | 
|  | <3> Merge a topic branch into the current branch, which resulted | 
|  | in a fast-forward. | 
|  | <4> But you decided that the topic branch is not ready for public | 
|  | consumption yet.  "pull" or "merge" always leaves the original | 
|  | tip of the current branch in ORIG_HEAD, so resetting hard to it | 
|  | brings your index file and the working tree back to that state, | 
|  | and resets the tip of the branch to that commit. | 
|  |  | 
|  | Undo a merge or pull inside a dirty working tree:: | 
|  | + | 
|  | ------------ | 
|  | $ git pull                         <1> | 
|  | Auto-merging nitfol | 
|  | Merge made by recursive. | 
|  | nitfol                |   20 +++++---- | 
|  | ... | 
|  | $ git reset --merge ORIG_HEAD      <2> | 
|  | ------------ | 
|  | + | 
|  | <1> Even if you may have local modifications in your | 
|  | working tree, you can safely say "git pull" when you know | 
|  | that the change in the other branch does not overlap with | 
|  | them. | 
|  | <2> After inspecting the result of the merge, you may find | 
|  | that the change in the other branch is unsatisfactory.  Running | 
|  | "git reset --hard ORIG_HEAD" will let you go back to where you | 
|  | were, but it will discard your local changes, which you do not | 
|  | want.  "git reset --merge" keeps your local changes. | 
|  |  | 
|  |  | 
|  | Interrupted workflow:: | 
|  | + | 
|  | Suppose you are interrupted by an urgent fix request while you | 
|  | are in the middle of a large change.  The files in your | 
|  | working tree are not in any shape to be committed yet, but you | 
|  | need to get to the other branch for a quick bugfix. | 
|  | + | 
|  | ------------ | 
|  | $ git checkout feature ;# you were working in "feature" branch and | 
|  | $ work work work       ;# got interrupted | 
|  | $ git commit -a -m "snapshot WIP"                 <1> | 
|  | $ git checkout master | 
|  | $ fix fix fix | 
|  | $ git commit ;# commit with real log | 
|  | $ git checkout feature | 
|  | $ git reset --soft HEAD^ ;# go back to WIP state  <2> | 
|  | $ git reset                                       <3> | 
|  | ------------ | 
|  | + | 
|  | <1> This commit will get blown away so a throw-away log message is OK. | 
|  | <2> This removes the 'WIP' commit from the commit history, and sets | 
|  | your working tree to the state just before you made that snapshot. | 
|  | <3> At this point the index file still has all the WIP changes you | 
|  | committed as 'snapshot WIP'.  This updates the index to show your | 
|  | WIP files as uncommitted. | 
|  | + | 
|  | See also linkgit:git-stash[1]. | 
|  |  | 
|  | Reset a single file in the index:: | 
|  | + | 
|  | Suppose you have added a file to your index, but later decide you do not | 
|  | want to add it to your commit. You can remove the file from the index | 
|  | while keeping your changes with git reset. | 
|  | + | 
|  | ------------ | 
|  | $ git reset -- frotz.c                      <1> | 
|  | $ git commit -m "Commit files in index"     <2> | 
|  | $ git add frotz.c                           <3> | 
|  | ------------ | 
|  | + | 
|  | <1> This removes the file from the index while keeping it in the working | 
|  | directory. | 
|  | <2> This commits all other changes in the index. | 
|  | <3> Adds the file to the index again. | 
|  |  | 
|  | Keep changes in working tree while discarding some previous commits:: | 
|  | + | 
|  | Suppose you are working on something and you commit it, and then you | 
|  | continue working a bit more, but now you think that what you have in | 
|  | your working tree should be in another branch that has nothing to do | 
|  | with what you committed previously. You can start a new branch and | 
|  | reset it while keeping the changes in your working tree. | 
|  | + | 
|  | ------------ | 
|  | $ git tag start | 
|  | $ git checkout -b branch1 | 
|  | $ edit | 
|  | $ git commit ...                            <1> | 
|  | $ edit | 
|  | $ git checkout -b branch2                   <2> | 
|  | $ git reset --keep start                    <3> | 
|  | ------------ | 
|  | + | 
|  | <1> This commits your first edits in branch1. | 
|  | <2> In the ideal world, you could have realized that the earlier | 
|  | commit did not belong to the new topic when you created and switched | 
|  | to branch2 (i.e. "git checkout -b branch2 start"), but nobody is | 
|  | perfect. | 
|  | <3> But you can use "reset --keep" to remove the unwanted commit after | 
|  | you switched to "branch2". | 
|  |  | 
|  |  | 
|  | DISCUSSION | 
|  | ---------- | 
|  |  | 
|  | The tables below show what happens when running: | 
|  |  | 
|  | ---------- | 
|  | git reset --option target | 
|  | ---------- | 
|  |  | 
|  | to reset the HEAD to another commit (`target`) with the different | 
|  | reset options depending on the state of the files. | 
|  |  | 
|  | In these tables, A, B, C and D are some different states of a | 
|  | file. For example, the first line of the first table means that if a | 
|  | file is in state A in the working tree, in state B in the index, in | 
|  | state C in HEAD and in state D in the target, then "git reset --soft | 
|  | target" will leave the file in the working tree in state A and in the | 
|  | index in state B.  It resets (i.e. moves) the HEAD (i.e. the tip of | 
|  | the current branch, if you are on one) to "target" (which has the file | 
|  | in state D). | 
|  |  | 
|  | working index HEAD target         working index HEAD | 
|  | ---------------------------------------------------- | 
|  | A       B     C    D     --soft   A       B     D | 
|  | --mixed  A       D     D | 
|  | --hard   D       D     D | 
|  | --merge (disallowed) | 
|  | --keep  (disallowed) | 
|  |  | 
|  | working index HEAD target         working index HEAD | 
|  | ---------------------------------------------------- | 
|  | A       B     C    C     --soft   A       B     C | 
|  | --mixed  A       C     C | 
|  | --hard   C       C     C | 
|  | --merge (disallowed) | 
|  | --keep   A       C     C | 
|  |  | 
|  | working index HEAD target         working index HEAD | 
|  | ---------------------------------------------------- | 
|  | B       B     C    D     --soft   B       B     D | 
|  | --mixed  B       D     D | 
|  | --hard   D       D     D | 
|  | --merge  D       D     D | 
|  | --keep  (disallowed) | 
|  |  | 
|  | working index HEAD target         working index HEAD | 
|  | ---------------------------------------------------- | 
|  | B       B     C    C     --soft   B       B     C | 
|  | --mixed  B       C     C | 
|  | --hard   C       C     C | 
|  | --merge  C       C     C | 
|  | --keep   B       C     C | 
|  |  | 
|  | working index HEAD target         working index HEAD | 
|  | ---------------------------------------------------- | 
|  | B       C     C    D     --soft   B       C     D | 
|  | --mixed  B       D     D | 
|  | --hard   D       D     D | 
|  | --merge (disallowed) | 
|  | --keep  (disallowed) | 
|  |  | 
|  | working index HEAD target         working index HEAD | 
|  | ---------------------------------------------------- | 
|  | B       C     C    C     --soft   B       C     C | 
|  | --mixed  B       C     C | 
|  | --hard   C       C     C | 
|  | --merge  B       C     C | 
|  | --keep   B       C     C | 
|  |  | 
|  | "reset --merge" is meant to be used when resetting out of a conflicted | 
|  | merge. Any mergy operation guarantees that the working tree file that is | 
|  | involved in the merge does not have local change wrt the index before | 
|  | it starts, and that it writes the result out to the working tree. So if | 
|  | we see some difference between the index and the target and also | 
|  | between the index and the working tree, then it means that we are not | 
|  | resetting out from a state that a mergy operation left after failing | 
|  | with a conflict. That is why we disallow --merge option in this case. | 
|  |  | 
|  | "reset --keep" is meant to be used when removing some of the last | 
|  | commits in the current branch while keeping changes in the working | 
|  | tree. If there could be conflicts between the changes in the commit we | 
|  | want to remove and the changes in the working tree we want to keep, | 
|  | the reset is disallowed. That's why it is disallowed if there are both | 
|  | changes between the working tree and HEAD, and between HEAD and the | 
|  | target. To be safe, it is also disallowed when there are unmerged | 
|  | entries. | 
|  |  | 
|  | The following tables show what happens when there are unmerged | 
|  | entries: | 
|  |  | 
|  | working index HEAD target         working index HEAD | 
|  | ---------------------------------------------------- | 
|  | X       U     A    B     --soft  (disallowed) | 
|  | --mixed  X       B     B | 
|  | --hard   B       B     B | 
|  | --merge  B       B     B | 
|  | --keep  (disallowed) | 
|  |  | 
|  | working index HEAD target         working index HEAD | 
|  | ---------------------------------------------------- | 
|  | X       U     A    A     --soft  (disallowed) | 
|  | --mixed  X       A     A | 
|  | --hard   A       A     A | 
|  | --merge  A       A     A | 
|  | --keep  (disallowed) | 
|  |  | 
|  | X means any state and U means an unmerged index. | 
|  |  | 
|  | GIT | 
|  | --- | 
|  | Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite |