Git Reset vs. Git Restore

git reset

• Undo commits (keep changes staged):

  git reset --soft HEAD~        # Move HEAD but keep changes staged
  git reset --soft <commit>     # Move to specific commit, keep changes staged
  

• Unstage changes (keep changes in working directory):

  git reset HEAD~              # Reset --mixed (default), move HEAD and unstage changes
  git reset <commit>           # Reset --mixed, move to specific commit and unstage changes
  git reset HEAD <file>        # Unstage a specific file
  

• Discard commits and changes (destructive):

  git reset --hard HEAD~1      # Discard commits and changes permanently
  

git restore

• Discard working directory changes:

  git restore <file>           # Revert file to its state in the last commit
  

• Unstage changes:

  git restore --staged <file>  # Move changes from staging area to working directory
  

• Restore a file from a specific commit:

  git restore --source=<commit> <file> # Restore file from a specific commit
  

Key differences

Command	Branch pointer	Staging area	Working directory
git reset <commit>	Moves	Resets (unstages)	Unchanged
git reset --soft <commit>	Moves	Unchanged	Unchanged
git restore <file>	Unchanged	Unchanged	Resets file
git restore --staged <file>	Unchanged	Resets (unstages)	Unchanged

When to use?

• git reset:

  • Move branch pointers or undo commits.
  • Unstage changes (though git restore --staged is more intuitive).

• git restore:

  • Discard changes in the working directory.
  • Unstage changes (modern alternative to git reset HEAD <file>).

Pro tips

• Recover from a hard reset: Use git reflog to find the lost commit and reset back:

git reflog
git reset --hard <hash>

• Combine git reset and git restore: Reset to a specific commit but keep changes in the working directory:

git reset <commit>
git restore .

• Avoid --hard unless necessary: Use --soft or --mixed to preserve changes.

Jan 15, 2025