How long does the reflog keep entries?

By default, Git keeps reflog entries for 90 days for reachable commits and 30 days for unreachable commits. These durations are configurable with git config gc.reflogExpire.

Can the reflog recover a deleted branch?

Yes! When you delete a branch, the commits are not erased immediately. Use git reflog to find the last commit of the branch, then git checkout -b branch-name to recreate it.

What is the difference between git log and git reflog?

git log shows the commit history of the current branch (the commit chain). git reflog shows every HEAD movement: commits, checkouts, resets, merges, rebases. Reflog sees things that log doesn't show, like "lost" commits.

Is the reflog shared with other developers?

No, the reflog is strictly local. Each developer has their own reflog. It is never sent with git push and cannot be retrieved from a remote repository.

When can the reflog NOT help me?

The reflog cannot help if: you never committed the changes (they were never recorded by Git), the entries have expired (after 90 days), or you ran git gc --prune=now which deletes orphaned objects.

Git reflog: recover lost commits

Lost a commit after a reset? Deleted a branch by mistake? The reflog is Git's safety net. It records everything, even what git log no longer shows.

Practice the reflog Git Glossary

gitquest — enquête

Key concept

What is git reflog?

git reflog (reference log) records every movement of HEAD in your local repository: commits, checkouts, resets, merges, rebases...

Unlike git log which only shows the reachable commit chain, the reflog sees the complete history, including commits "lost" after a reset or rebase.

It's your safety net: as long as you committed something, the reflog can help you find it.

Git reflog syntax

git reflog

Show the complete history of HEAD

git reflog show <branch>

Reflog for a specific branch

git reset --hard HEAD@{n}

Go back to a previous reflog state

The reflog in action

View the reflog and recover lost commits after an accidental reset.

View the reflog

gitquest — reflog

# View the full history of HEAD movements

$git reflog

a1b2c3d (HEAD -> main) HEAD@{0}: commit: feat: add navbar

f4e5d6c HEAD@{1}: checkout: moving from feature to main

b7c8d9e HEAD@{2}: commit: fix: fix the footer

c3d4e5f HEAD@{3}: reset: moving to HEAD~2

d4e5f6g HEAD@{4}: commit: feat: add contact page

e5f6g7h HEAD@{5}: commit: feat: add about page

Recover a lost commit

gitquest — recovery

# Oops! I did a hard reset by mistake

$git reset --hard HEAD~3

HEAD is now at e5f6g7h (3 commits lost!)

# Don't panic, reflog recorded everything

$git reflog

e5f6g7h HEAD@{0}: reset: moving to HEAD~3

a1b2c3d HEAD@{1}: commit: feat: add navbar

# Go back to the state before the reset

$git reset --hard a1b2c3d

HEAD is now at a1b2c3d — commits recovered!

3 situations where the reflog saves you

Accidental hard reset

You ran git reset --hard and lost commits. The reflog recorded them, you can go back.

git reset --hard HEAD@{1}

Deleted branch

You deleted a branch with git branch -D. Find its last commit in the reflog and recreate it.

git checkout -b my-branch <hash>

Rebase gone wrong

A rebase caused problems? The reflog lets you find the state before the rebase and go back to it.

git reset --hard HEAD@{n}

Best practices with the reflog

Commit often

The reflog can only save what has been committed. Uncommitted changes are not recorded.

Check the reflog before a reset

Before running reset --hard, note the current hash in case you want to go back.

The reflog is local

The reflog is not shared. If you lose your local repository (hard drive failure), the reflog is lost too. Push regularly to the remote.

Entries expire

By default, reflog entries expire after 90 days. Don't wait too long to recover a lost commit.

Part of the Undo Changes in Git guide

Related commands

git log

Commit history

Undo a commit

Reset, revert and restore

git stash

Recover a lost stash

GitQuest is created by Anaïs (nouvelle fenêtre), web developer and head of education, specializing in tech training and digital accessibility.

Questions about git reflog

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