How do I delete a commit from a branch? – Git Tutorial with Examples

When working with Git, a distributed version control system, it’s common to occasionally need to delete a commit from a branch to fix mistakes, remove sensitive data, or tidy up history. This tutorial explains how to delete a commit from a Git branch in a way that is safe and clear, with examples and visualizations to solidify your understanding.

Understanding Commits and Branches in Git

A commit in Git represents a snapshot of your project at a point in time. Branches are pointers to a series of commits. Deleting a commit means rewriting history by removing or altering that snapshot.

In this diagram, HEAD points to the last commit on the current branch. Deleting Commit C means altering the branch history and moving HEAD.

When and Why Would You Delete a Commit?

• Removing a commit with sensitive or incorrect information
• Cleaning up the commit history before pushing to a shared repository
• Undoing a commit that caused bugs or broke the build

Important Considerations Before Deleting Commits

• Deleting commits rewrites history. If the branch is shared, coordinate with your team to avoid conflicts.
• Always create a backup branch before destructive operations: git branch backup-branch.
• Use Git commands carefully to prevent loss of work.

Method 1: Delete the Most Recent Commit

To delete the latest commit from your branch, use:

git reset --hard HEAD~1

This will remove the latest commit completely and reset the branch pointer (HEAD) to the previous commit.

Example terminal output:

$ git log --oneline
d9f8a3b Commit D
c7e1e6a Commit C
b3f5e2d Commit B

$ git reset --hard HEAD~1

$ git log --oneline
c7e1e6a Commit C
b3f5e2d Commit B

Interactive Explanation

Resetting to HEAD~1 means “go back 1 commit from HEAD,” effectively deleting the most recent commit.

Method 2: Delete a Specific Commit with Interactive Rebase

To delete a commit anywhere in the history (not just the latest), you can use:

git rebase -i HEAD~N

Where N is the number of last commits to review.

Suppose you want to delete Commit 3:

git rebase -i HEAD~5

The interactive editor opens, showing commits in reverse chronological order:

pick e5d1a4d Commit 5
pick b4c3d2e Commit 4
pick c3b2a1f Commit 3
pick d4e5f6a Commit 2
pick a7b8c9d Commit 1

To delete Commit 3, replace pick before Commit 3 with drop or just delete that line.

Save and exit the editor. Git will reapply commits skipping the dropped one, thereby deleting it from history.

Method 3: Delete a Commit Using Git Revert (Undo Without History Rewriting)

If you want to undo a commit but keep history intact, you can use:

git revert <commit-hash>

This creates a new commit that reverses the changes introduced by the specified commit.

Example:

$ git revert c3b2a1f

This approach is safer for shared branches.

Visual Summary of Methods

Additional Tips and Best Practices

• Always backup your branch before rewriting history.
• Use git reflog to recover lost commits after accidental deletion.
• Communicate with your team when force-pushing after rewriting history.
• Use --soft or --mixed options with git reset if you want to keep changes staged or unstaged instead of discarding.

Conclusion

Deleting a commit from a Git branch is a task that requires care but can be done effectively using git reset for recent commits, git rebase -i for specific history editing, or git revert to undo changes safely without history rewrite. Mastering these commands enhances control over your project’s commit history and helps maintain a clean and meaningful Git log.

Try these techniques on a test branch to practice before applying to critical repositories.