How to Revert the Last Pull in Git?

In Git, a git pull command is used to fetch and merge changes from a remote repository into your local branch. However, there may be times when you need to revert the last pull. Perhaps the pull introduced unexpected changes, or you’ve realized that your local branch wasn’t ready to merge the new changes.

In this blog, we’ll walk through the steps to revert the last git pull, covering methods for undoing both committed and uncommitted changes so that you can confidently restore your branch to its desired state.

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Understanding git pull

When you run git pull, two actions occur:

1. Fetch: Git retrieves the latest changes from the remote repository.
2. Merge: Git attempts to integrate these changes into your current branch.

To revert a git pull, we typically need to undo this merge step. Let’s explore how to do that based on the state of your branch.

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Methods to Revert the Last Pull

1. Reverting an Uncommitted Merge (git merge --abort)

If the pull operation resulted in conflicts and you have not committed the merge yet, you can cancel the merge process by using:

git merge --abort

This command effectively stops the merge and restores your branch to its state before the git pull was initiated. This is useful if you haven’t yet completed or committed the merge and want to start fresh.

Example

git pull origin main
# Conflicts arise, decide to cancel the merge
git merge --abort

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2. Reverting a Committed Merge with git reset

If the pull operation has already been committed, you can use the git reset command to undo the changes and reset your branch to the previous state.

Option 1: Soft Reset

This option removes the last commit but keeps your changes in the working directory, allowing you to review and amend files before recommitting.

git reset --soft HEAD~1

HEAD~1 tells Git to go back one commit from the current HEAD position. This will unstage the changes introduced by the last pull, but keep them in your working directory.

Option 2: Hard Reset

If you want to discard all changes made by the last pull and return your branch to the previous commit, you can use:

git reset --hard HEAD~1

This will remove all files and changes from both your staging area and working directory, completely rolling back the pull. Be careful with this option, as it’s a permanent action that cannot be undone.

Example

git pull origin main
# Review changes, then decide to revert
git reset --hard HEAD~1

This command undoes the pull, leaving your branch exactly as it was before the git pull command.

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3. Reverting Changes with git revert

If you prefer to create a new commit that reverses the changes introduced by the pull (ideal if you’ve already pushed the changes to a shared branch), use the git revert command. This creates a new commit that undoes the effects of the last pull, making it suitable for collaborative projects.

1. Identify the Commit to Revert: List your commits with:

   git log

2. Run the git revert Command:

   git revert -m 1 <commit-hash>

Replace <commit-hash> with the commit hash of the pull’s merge commit.

The -m 1 option specifies the mainline parent commit to retain, as revert needs to know which parent to keep in case of a merge.

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4. Undoing Changes with git reflog

If none of the above methods work as expected, you can use git reflog to navigate through your repository’s history and reset to a specific point in time.

1. Find the Previous State in Reflog:

   git reflog

This command shows a log of all recent actions in your repository, including pulls, resets, and checkouts. Look for the commit before the pull.

2. Reset to the Desired Commit:

   git reset --hard <commit-hash>

Replace <commit-hash> with the hash of the commit you want to return to. This action undoes the pull and reverts your branch to a previous state.

Example

git reflog
# Locate the commit you want to return to
git reset --hard abc1234

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Summary

Reverting the last git pull can be done safely with the right approach. Here’s a quick recap:

• git merge --abort: Use if you want to cancel an uncommitted merge.
• git reset --soft HEAD~1: Soft reset to keep changes staged for review.
• git reset --hard HEAD~1: Hard reset to discard all changes from the pull.
• git revert: Create a new commit to undo changes in a shared branch.
• git reflog: Use to navigate to any previous state in the repository history.

Choose the method that best suits your workflow, and remember to verify your changes with git status or git log after making any adjustments. Following these steps will help you maintain a clean and manageable commit history in Git.