Recovering from hard reset in Git - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What does the command git reset --hard do?

It resets the current branch to a specific commit and discards all changes in the working directory and staging area, making the repository match exactly that commit.

beginner

How can you find the commit hash before a hard reset?

Use git reflog to see a list of recent HEAD positions, including before the hard reset.

intermediate

Which command restores your branch to the state before a hard reset?

Use git reset --hard <commit-hash> where <commit-hash> is the commit before the reset, found via git reflog.

beginner

What is git reflog used for?

It records updates to the tip of branches and HEAD, allowing you to find lost commits or states after operations like hard reset.

intermediate

Why is it important to act quickly after a hard reset if you want to recover?

Because Git's reflog entries expire after some time and garbage collection may remove unreachable commits, making recovery impossible later.

What command helps you see previous HEAD positions after a hard reset?

A git branch

B git status

C git log --oneline

D git reflog

git reflog shows recent HEAD movements, including before resets.

Which command will discard all local changes and reset to a specific commit?

A git reset --soft

B git checkout

C git reset --hard

D git commit --amend

git reset --hard resets the branch and discards changes.

If you want to undo a hard reset, what is the first step?

A Run git push

B Find the previous commit hash using git reflog

C Run git merge

D Delete the .git folder

Use git reflog to find the commit before the reset.

What happens if you run git reset --hard HEAD~1?

A Moves HEAD to the previous commit and discards changes

B Creates a new commit

C Pushes changes to remote

D Shows the commit log

This command moves HEAD back one commit and discards local changes.

Why might recovery from a hard reset fail after some time?

A Because reflog entries expire and unreachable commits get deleted

B Because git reset deletes the repository

C Because commits are encrypted

D Because git reflog is disabled by default

Git cleans up unreachable commits after a while, making recovery impossible.

Explain how to recover your work after accidentally running a hard reset in Git.

Think about how Git tracks HEAD changes and how to move back.

Describe the role of git reflog in recovering from destructive Git commands.

It is like a safety log for your Git history.