Understand reset before using it

When you reset a branch to a commit, Git moves the branch reference. The mode decides what happens to the index and working tree.

Before any reset, inspect and protect the current state:

git status
git log --oneline --decorate -5
git branch backup-before-reset

The backup branch gives the current commit a name. This makes recovery much easier.

A soft reset moves the branch but leaves the index and working tree unchanged:

git reset --soft HEAD~1

The old commit’s changes now appear staged.

The default mixed reset moves the branch and resets the index, but preserves working-tree files:

git reset HEAD~1

The changes now appear unstaged.

A hard reset moves the branch and makes both the index and tracked working files match the target:

git reset --hard HEAD~1

This can permanently discard uncommitted tracked changes. It is not a first response to a confusing repository.

Reset is best kept to local history. If a commit is shared, prefer git revert so the correction becomes a normal new commit.

Exercise: in a disposable repository, create a backup branch, run a soft reset, inspect status, then recover by switching back to the backup branch. Do not practice --hard with real work.