### How to restore main branch to previous state after wrong merge

[haroshi-hub]

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What I'm trying to do

I need to revert my main branch to its previous state after accidentally merging changes from branch 'A' that shouldn't have been merged.

Current situation

1. Created a new branch 'A'
2. Made and pushed new commits to branch 'A'
3. Merged branch 'A' into main branch
4. Realized the merge was incorrect and need to undo it

What I need help with

• How to safely restore the main branch to its state before the merge
• Best practice to handle this situation without losing commit history

Environment

• Using GitHub Web Interface/Git CLI (please specify which you're using)

Additional Information

• Are there any other branches or concurrent changes I should be aware of?
• Have any other team members pulled the updated main branch?

Please let me know the safest way to handle this situation.

[wlb-tycoon]

There are several ways to restore your main branch to its previous state. I'll provide both simple and advanced solutions:

1. Using git reset (If changes haven't been pushed to remote)

git checkout main
git reset --hard HEAD~1   # Goes back 1 commit (the merge commit)

2. Using git revert (Safer option, especially if changes are already pushed)

git checkout main
git revert -m 1 <merge-commit-hash>

3. Step-by-step solution (Recommended approach)

• First, find the merge commit:

git log --merges

• Choose your preferred method:

For local-only changes: Use reset method (#1)
For pushed changes: Use revert method (#2)

• After fixing, push the changes:

git push origin main --force  # For reset method
# OR
git push origin main         # For revert method