How to undo a pull in Git

Sometimes you might need to undo a Git pull due to errors, conflicts, or unintended updates. This guide will walk you through the steps to safely undo a pull and revert your repository back to its previous state.

Understanding the need to undo a pull

A "pull" in Git is essentially a fetch followed by a merge. This means that when you pull changes from a remote repository, Git tries to merge these changes into your current branch. If the pulled changes cause issues or weren't what you intended, you might want to revert your repository back to its state before the pull.

How to undo a pull in GitHub

Here are the methods you can use to undo a pull:

Method 1: Using git reset

The most straightforward way to undo a pull is by using the git reset command. This command resets your branch to a previous state:

1. Find the commit before the pull: Use git log to view the commit history and identify the commit hash that represents the state of your branch before the pull. You can use the command:

   Terminal

   git log --pretty=oneline
   
   

   Look for the commit right before the merge commit or the first commit from the pull.

2. Reset to the previous commit: Once you have identified the correct commit hash, use the following command to reset:

   Terminal

   git reset --hard <commit-hash>
   
   

   Replace <commit-hash> with the hash of the commit before the pull. This command resets your working directory and index to that commit, discarding any changes that were merged during the pull.

Method 2: Using git revert for merge commits

If the pull resulted in a merge commit and you want to preserve the history of what happened, you can use git revert to undo the effects of the pull:

1. Identify the merge commit: Again, use git log to find the merge commit created by the pull.

2. Revert the merge commit: Use the following command to revert the merge commit:

   Terminal

   git revert -m 1 <merge-commit-hash>
   
   

   Replace <merge-commit-hash> with the hash of the merge commit. The -m 1 option tells Git to keep the parent side of the mainline, which essentially undoes the merge.

For more information see these guides on the git reset command and git revert command.