Git Revert

Change Platform:

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 w3schools-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/w3schools-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.jpg

Review 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 w3schools-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/w3schools-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.