How to revert a merge commit in Git

Arif Billah Babu

          

  git



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Reverting a merge commit in Git involves creating a new commit that undoes the changes introduced by the merge. Here are the general steps to revert a merge commit:

Note: Reverting a merge commit creates a new commit that undoes the changes, but it doesn't remove the merge commit itself. If you need to completely eliminate a merge and its changes, you might want to consider other options like git reset or git rebase. However, these options can be risky if the branch has been pushed to a remote repository, as they can rewrite history.

Here's how to revert a merge commit:

  1. Identify the Merge Commit:

    • Use git log to find the commit hash of the merge commit you want to revert.
    • Note the hash of the merge commit.

  2. Create a Revert Commit:

    • Run the following command, replacing <merge-commit-hash> with the actual hash of the merge commit:

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

    • The -m 1 flag specifies that you want to revert the changes from the first (mainline) parent of the merge commit. In a typical two-branch merge, the first parent is the branch you merged into.

  3. Resolve Conflicts (if any):

    • Git might prompt you to resolve conflicts during the revert process. Open the conflicted files, resolve the conflicts, and then continue with the revert.

  4. Commit the Revert:

    • After resolving conflicts (if any), commit the changes:

      bash
      git commit

    • This opens your default text editor for the commit message. You can modify the message if needed and save the commit message.

  5. Push the Revert Commit:

    • If you are working in a shared repository, push the revert commit to the remote repository:

      bash
      git push origin <branch-name>

    Replace <branch-name> with the name of your branch.

Now, the revert commit is applied, effectively undoing the changes introduced by the merge commit. The revert commit will be part of the branch history.

Remember that this method is a safer way to undo a merge commit while preserving history. If you need to completely remove the merge and its changes, you might want to explore other options, but use them with caution, especially if the branch has been shared with others.

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