How to Undo Git Merge
In this snippet, you will find out how to undo git merge in a relatively fast way.
Sometimes, you want to undo a merge operation regardless of whether it was triggered by the merge or pull command. Here, we will consider several ways to undo a merge in Git.
How to Undo a Merge with Conflicts
In case conflicts occurred after calling the merge command, you can undo the whole process by using the command below:
the merge abort command
git merge --abortHow to Undo an Unpushed Merge Commit
One effective way to undo a <kbd class="highlighted">git merge</kbd> is to run the git reset command. This method preserves your local changes and moves the branch pointer back to the commit before the merge. Run the following command:
git last commit before merge
git reset --soft ORIG_HEADAlternatively, you can find the merge commit hash using the git log command, then run:
git resetting your local repository to the specific commit sha
git reset --soft <merge-commit-hash>This method effectively cleans up the merge while preserving local changes. However, it has drawbacks. If your local branch is behind the remote branch, this approach may not work as expected. Additionally, rewriting history can make it difficult for teammates to track changes in the remote repository.
How to Undo a Pushed Merge Commit
Undoing with the git reset command
To undo a pushed merge, first reset the merge commit as described above, then force-push the changes:
git push command with the --force option
git push origin HEAD --forceInstead of --force, you can use a safer method: --force-with-lease, which will not overwrite the work of other developers.
Undoing with the git revert command
If you want to avoid disrupting parallel developers, use the git revert command. Find the merge commit hash with <kbd class="highlighted">git log</kbd>, then run:
Reverting a merge commit
git revert -m 1 <merge-commit-hash>The <kbd class="highlighted">-m 1</kbd> flag tells Git to revert to the first parent of the merge commit. Use <kbd class="highlighted">-m 2</kbd> to revert to the second parent instead.
Returning the Reverted Changes
This approach modifies the working data but keeps the history, so it isn't a complete undo. If you merge the branches again, the previously reverted changes won't be applied. To restore them, you must revert the revert commit. As you can see, several methods exist for undoing <kbd class="highlighted">git merge</kbd>. Before choosing one, consider the potential consequences for your workflow and team.