Understanding git reset: soft, mixed, and hard

git-reset-types.md

Understanding git reset: soft, mixed, and hard

This document explains the three main types of git reset and when to use each.

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1. git reset --soft HEAD~2

What it does:

• Removes the last two commits.
• Keeps all changes in the staging area (index).
• Nothing is lost; changes are ready to be committed again.

Use when:

• You want to rewrite or squash commits.
• You want to change the commit message or combine multiple commits.

Example:

git reset --soft HEAD~2
git commit -m "new single commit message"
git push --force

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2. git reset --mixed HEAD~2 (default)

What it does:

• Removes the last two commits.
• Keeps changes in the working directory, but unstages them.
• You'll need to git add again before committing.

Use when:

• You want to reselect or re-stage the changes.
• You want to edit or clean up before committing again.

Example:

git reset --mixed HEAD~2
# make changes or stage selected files
git add .
git commit -m "cleaned up commit"
git push --force

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3. git reset --hard HEAD~2

What it does:

• Removes the last two commits.
• Deletes all changes in those commits and in the working directory.
• Irreversible unless backed up.

Use when:

• You are sure you don’t want to keep the changes.
• You want a clean state of the third-to-last commit.

Example:

git reset --hard HEAD~2
git push --force

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Comparison Table

Command	Commits removed	Staging area	Working directory
--soft	✅	✅	✅
--mixed (default)	✅	❌	✅
--hard	✅	❌	❌

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Reminder

Use --force only when you're sure that no one else is working on the branch, as it will overwrite the remote history.