Stash, Undo, and Recovery

Level: Intermediate

ℹ️ What You'll Learn

• Stash changes temporarily
• Undo uncommitted changes
• Undo commits
• Recover lost commits
• When to use which

Stash (Save Work Temporarily)

Interrupt workflow, switch branch:

# Working on feature, interrupted
git stash
# Changes saved, working directory clean

# Switch branch to fix urgent bug
git checkout main
git checkout -b bugfix/critical
# Fix bug, commit, test
git checkout feature/exam
git stash pop
# Resume feature work

List stashes:

git stash list
# stash@{0}: WIP on feature/exam
# stash@{1}: WIP on feature/fees

Apply specific stash:

git stash apply stash@{1}
# Keep in stash list

git stash pop
# Apply and remove

Undo Uncommitted Changes

Discard local edits:

# Revert one file
git checkout StudentService.cs

# Revert all changes
git checkout .
# or
git reset --hard

SMS: Mistake in StudentService, revert to last commit.

Undo Commit (Not Yet Pushed)

# Keep changes, undo commit
git reset --soft HEAD~1
# Changes stay staged

git reset --mixed HEAD~1
# Changes unstaged

git reset --hard HEAD~1
# Discard completely

Never git reset --hard on public branch.

Undo Commit (Already Pushed)

Safe method - use git revert:

git revert abc123
# Creates new commit undoing abc123

All other commits remain.

Recover Lost Commit

Accidentally deleted branch with commits:

git reflog
# Shows all local actions

# Find lost commit
0a1b2c3 HEAD@{5}: commit: Add exam results

git checkout -b recovery 0a1b2c3
# Restore lost work

Undo Last Commit (Not Pushed)

git reset --soft HEAD~1
# Undo, keep changes staged

git commit -m "Fixed message"
# Recommit with correct message

Key Takeaways

• Stash = save work temporarily
• Reset = undo commits (local only)
• Revert = undo commits (safe for pushed)
• Reflog = recover lost work

💡 Safety First

Never force push to shared branches. Use revert for public branches.

⚠️ Destructive Commands

• git reset --hard = LOSS
• git push --force = DANGER
• Only use on local branches

🤖Use AI to Learn Faster

Use ChatGPT, Claude, or Copilot to go deeper on Git Undo. Try these prompts:

• "When do I use stash?"
• "What's the difference between reset and revert?"
• "How do I recover lost commits?"
• "Quiz me on undo"

💡 Tip: After reading this article, paste your own code into AI and ask "What could go wrong here and why?" — fastest way to find edge cases and deepen understanding.