What is the difference between soft, mixed and hard?

soft keeps changes staged, mixed (default) moves them to the working directory, hard deletes them completely. Use soft to redo a commit, mixed to re-select files, hard to discard everything.

Can I recover after a git reset --hard?

Yes, thanks to git reflog. Commits are not deleted immediately; Git keeps them for 90 days. Type git reflog to find the lost commit hash, then git reset --hard .

What is the difference between git reset and git revert?

reset rewrites history by removing commits. revert creates a new commit that undoes the changes. On a shared branch, always use revert to avoid breaking everyone else's history.

How do I undo a git reset?

Use git reflog to find the previous state, then git reset --hard to go back. The reflog keeps a record of every HEAD movement.

Is git reset dangerous?

Only --hard is dangerous because it deletes uncommitted changes. --soft and --mixed are safe: your files remain intact. Always check with git status before a reset.

Git reset: undo and travel back in time

git reset lets you undo commits, unstage files or go back to a previous state. Three modes (soft, mixed, hard) for three levels of control.

Practice git reset Git Glossary

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Powerful

What is git reset?

git reset moves the HEAD pointer to a previous commit. Depending on the mode chosen, it can also modify the staging area and the working directory.

It's like a time machine: you choose how far back to go and what you keep from your journey.

Warning: on a shared branch, prefer git revert which doesn't rewrite history.

The 3 reset modes

git reset --soft HEAD~1

Keeps changes staged

git reset HEAD~1

Mixed (default): moves to working directory

git reset --hard HEAD~1

Deletes everything permanently

Git reset in practice

Undo a commit or unstage files.

Soft reset (keep staging)

gitquest — reset --soft

# Undo the last commit but keep changes staged

$git log --oneline -3

e4f5g6h fix: bad commit message

c3d4e5f feat: add the form

a1b2c3d feat: homepage

$git reset --soft HEAD~1

HEAD is now at c3d4e5f

# Changes are still staged, ready to re-commit

Hard and mixed reset

gitquest — reset --hard

# Undo the last 2 commits and DELETE the changes

$git reset --hard HEAD~2

HEAD is now at a1b2c3d feat: homepage

# Warning: changes are permanently lost

# Unstage files without touching them (mixed, default)

$git reset HEAD file.txt

Unstaged changes after reset: file.txt

Comparing reset modes

`--soft`

The commit is undone but changes remain in the staging area. Ideal for redoing a commit with a better message.

Safe

`--mixed`

The commit is undone and changes go back to the working directory. This is the default mode.

Safe

`--hard`

The commit is undone and changes are deleted. Your code returns to exactly the target commit.

Destructive

Common mistakes with git reset

Reset --hard on a shared branch

If other developers have already pulled your commits, a reset will desynchronize everyone. Use git revert instead.

Confusing reset and checkout

reset moves HEAD (and potentially the staging/working directory). checkout switches branches or restores files. These are different operations.

Forgetting to check git status first

A hard reset also deletes uncommitted changes. Always check what you have in progress before resetting.

Part of the Undo Changes in Git guide

Related commands

git revert

Undo without rewriting history

git reflog

Find a lost commit

git restore

Restore files

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

Questions about git reset

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