How to Rewrite Git History: Commands and Examples

To rewrite git history, use git commit --amend to change the last commit or git rebase -i to edit multiple past commits. These commands let you modify commit messages, combine commits, or remove commits safely before pushing.

Syntax

git commit --amend: Changes the most recent commit by adding new changes or editing the commit message.

git rebase -i <commit>: Opens an interactive editor to rewrite commits starting after the specified commit. You can edit, reorder, squash, or remove commits.

bash

git commit --amend

git rebase -i HEAD~3

Example

This example shows how to change the last commit message and then how to squash the last two commits into one.

bash

# Change last commit message
$ git commit --amend -m "Updated commit message"

# Start interactive rebase for last 2 commits
$ git rebase -i HEAD~2

# In the editor, change 'pick' to 'squash' for the second commit
# Save and close the editor to combine commits

Output

Successfully amended the commit message.
Rebasing (1/2) - commit combined successfully.

Common Pitfalls

• Rewriting commits that have been pushed to shared repositories can cause conflicts for others.
• Always backup or create a branch before rewriting history.
• Using git rebase -i incorrectly can lose commits if you delete lines accidentally.

bash

## Wrong: rewriting pushed commits without coordination
$ git rebase -i HEAD~3
# force push without informing team
$ git push --force

## Right: create a backup branch before rewriting
$ git branch backup-branch
$ git rebase -i HEAD~3
$ git push --force-with-lease

Quick Reference

Command	Purpose
git commit --amend	Edit the last commit message or content
git rebase -i HEAD~N	Interactively rewrite last N commits
git push --force-with-lease	Force push safely after rewriting history
git reflog	Recover lost commits after rewriting

Key Takeaways

Use git commit --amend to fix the last commit quickly.

Use git rebase -i to rewrite multiple past commits interactively.

Avoid rewriting commits that others have already pulled without coordination.

Always create a backup branch before rewriting history.

Use git push --force-with-lease to safely update remote history.