What Does Git Revert Do?
The git revert command undoes a previous commit by creating a new commit that reverses the changes.
This keeps your commit history intact and is the safest way to undo changes in a shared repository.
Summary of Git Revert Commands and Options
- git revert HEAD - Revert the latest commit
- git revert <commit> - Revert a specific commit
- git revert HEAD~2 - Revert a commit further back in history
- git revert --no-edit - Skip commit message editor
- git log --oneline - Show commit history
How to Find the Commit to Revert
First, you need to find the commit you want to undo.
Use git log --oneline to see a summary of your commit history:
Example
git log --oneline
52418f7 (HEAD -> master) Just a regular update, definitely no accidents here...
9a9add8 (origin/master) Added .gitignore
81912ba Corrected spelling error
3fdaa5b Merge pull request #1 from ExampleSite-test/update-readme
836e5bf (origin/update-readme, update-readme) Updated readme for GitHub Branches
daf4f7c (origin/html-skeleton, html-skeleton) Updated index.html with basic meta
facaeae (gh-page/master) Merge branch 'master' of https://github.com/ExampleSite-test/hello-world
e7de78f Updated index.html. Resized image
5a04b6f Updated README.md with a line about focus
d29d69f Updated README.md with a line about GitHub
e0b6038 merged with hello-world-images after fixing conflicts
1f1584e added new image
dfa79db updated index.html with emergency fix
0312c55 Added image to Hello World
09f4acd Updated index.html with a new line
221ec6e First release of Hello World!Run Git Revert
Once you've found the commit you want to undo, use git revert to create a new commit that reverses the changes:
Example
git revert HEAD --no-edit
[master e56ba1f] Revert "Just a regular update, definitely no accidents here..."
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:50:13 2021 +0200
1 file changed, 0 insertions(+), 0 deletions(-)
create mode 100644 img_hello_git.jpgReview Changes After Git Revert
After running git revert , review the changes to make sure everything is as expected:
Example
git log --oneline
e56ba1f (HEAD -> master) Revert "Just a regular update, definitely no accidents here..."
52418f7 Just a regular update, definitely no accidents here...
9a9add8 (origin/master) Added .gitignore
81912ba Corrected spelling error
3fdaa5b Merge pull request #1 from ExampleSite-test/update-readme
836e5bf (origin/update-readme, update-readme) Updated readme for GitHub Branches
daf4f7c (origin/html-skeleton, html-skeleton) Updated index.html with basic meta
facaeae (gh-page/master) Merge branch 'master' of https://github.com/ExampleSite-test/hello-world
e7de78f Updated index.html. Resized image
5a04b6f Updated README.md with a line about focus
d29d69f Updated README.md with a line about GitHub
e0b6038 merged with hello-world-images after fixing conflicts
1f1584e added new image
dfa79db updated index.html with emergency fix
0312c55 Added image to Hello World
09f4acd Updated index.html with a new line
221ec6e First release of Hello World!Tips & Best Practices
Here are some tips and best practices to keep in mind when using Git Revert:
- Use git revert instead of git reset when you want to undo a previous commit, but still keep the commit history intact.
- Use git log --oneline to find the commit you want to undo.
- Use git revert HEAD --no-edit to create a new commit that reverses the changes.
Troubleshooting
Here are some common issues you may encounter when using Git Revert:
- If you get an error message saying "error: could not revert...", try using git revert --abort to abort the revert process.
- If you get an error message saying "error: could not apply...", try using git revert --continue to continue the revert process.