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Git and GitHub: How to Revert a Single File.

Joseph Trettevik on June 14, 2020

Song of the Week Introduction Once you start collaborating with other developer it's going to be important to know how to...

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Gerry Tan • Feb 2 '21

In most cases you want to checkout to the commit before the most recent ones. So the command should be:

git checkout [commit ID]~1 -- path/to/file

~1 here is reference to the commit's first parent, more info.

Connor Leech • May 6 '21

You can also leave the commit hash out, to for instance go back to the most recent commit (the HEAD):

git checkout -- path/to/your/file

Chris Cook • Jan 5 '23

git show some_commit_sha1 -- some_file.c | git apply -R

stackoverflow.com/a/7196615/1967693

Fernando Guillen • Sep 27

yes!

Peter Henry • Apr 14 '23

I'm trying this, and all is great...until the last step of trying to push. I get this error,
fatal: You are not currently on a branch (but I am, I can clearly see I'm on the branch that has the commit hash as stated above)
To push the history leading to the current (detached HEAD)
state now, use
git push origin HEAD:

and when I do that....
! [rejected] HEAD -> name of my branch <non-fast-forward)
error: failed to push some reds to 'bitbucket.org/company/more paths'

The red errors with fail and rejected is not confidence inspiring. What am I doing wrong?

radley112 • Feb 8 '22

Takeaways: @geometry dash
Find the commit ID of the version of the file you want to revert to.
Find the path to the file you want to revert from the working directory.
In the terminal, change directories to the working directory.
Type git checkout [commit ID] -- path/to/file and hit enter.
Commit the change to the reverted file.
(this is the first result i found)

Javier Trujillo (Misterdigital) • Oct 6

This article is a lifesaver for anyone who's ever needed to revert a single file in a Git repository! The step-by-step guide is clear and easy to follow, making it accessible even for those who are relatively new to Git. The explanation of the git checkout command and how it can be used to restore a specific file to a previous state is particularly valuable. It's also great to see the inclusion of practical examples and the mention of potential pitfalls, such as ensuring you don't accidentally overwrite changes. Thanks for sharing this useful tip!

Japan Shah • Apr 22 '21

Thanks @lofiandcode for the nice article - I directly jumped to Takeaways section and it worked.

Fernando Guillen • Sep 27

It doesn't work if the file is deleted:

error: pathspec 'my/file/path' did not match any file(s) known to git

pradeepkatiyar007 • Feb 26

So, while the guide focuses on a specific task, the underlying techniques offer a powerful way to explore and navigate the history of your code, like a developer's own time machine!

Wonderful for OST vs PST!

Nathan wells • Dec 14 '23

In the world of version control, mistakes happen. Fortunately, Git offers several ways to revert changes, including reverting a single file. This article will guide you through two methods to revert a single file in Git and GitHub:

1. Using Git Checkout:

This approach allows you to revert to a specific commit for a single file.

Steps:

Find the commit ID of the version you want to revert to.

Use git log to view the commit history of the file.
Navigate to your local repository.
Run the command: git checkout [commit ID] --
Replace [commit ID] with the actual commit ID you found.
Stage the changes: git add
Commit the changes: git commit -m "Revert changes to "
Push your changes to GitHub: git push origin HEAD

2. Using Git Reset:

This method allows you to discard changes made to a single file and revert it to the state in the working directory or the index.

Steps:

Navigate to your local repository.
Run the command: git reset HEAD
This resets the file to the state in the HEAD commit.
Alternatively, to revert to the state in the index: git reset HEAD^
Stage the changes: git add
Commit the changes: git commit -m "Revert changes to "
Push your changes to GitHub: git push origin HEAD

Remember:

Always back up your repository before making any significant changes.
Consider using a commit message that clearly describes the revert action.
These methods only revert changes locally. You need to push your changes to GitHub to reflect them on the remote repository.

Additional Resources:

Git documentation on checkout: git-scm.com/docs/git-checkout
Git documentation on reset: git-scm.com/docs/git-reset
GitHub Help article on reverting commits: docs.github.com/en/desktop/managin...
By understanding these methods, you can easily revert changes to a single file in Git and GitHub, ensuring your code base remains clean and reflects your desired state as shoviv.