Undo and Revert in GitHub Desktop: Fix Mistakes Without Fear

A commit is not a point of no return. GitHub Desktop lets you rebuild a local commit with Undo or safely reverse a published commit with Revert.

First question: was the commit pushed?

• No, it is still local → use Undo.
• Yes, it is already on GitHub → use Revert.

Undo: rebuild a local commit

Undo removes the latest local commit from History but keeps every file change. The files return to Changes so you can review, improve, and commit them again.

Method 1: from Changes

1. Open Changes.
2. Find the latest local commit at the bottom of the sidebar.
3. Click Undo.
4. Confirm the files returned to Changes.

Method 2: from History

Some GitHub Desktop versions expose Undo in the context menu of the latest unpushed commit.

1. Open History.
2. Right-click the latest local commit.
3. Select Undo commit if available.
4. Return to Changes and inspect the files.

Undo is not Discard changes. Undo keeps edits; Discard changes removes uncommitted edits.

Revert: reverse a published commit

If a commit is already on GitHub, do not rewrite shared history. Revert creates a new commit with the opposite changes.

1. Open History.
2. Right-click the published commit.
3. Select Revert Changes in Commit.
4. Open the new Revert commit and read its reverse diff.
5. Click Push origin.

The original commit remains visible. The new commit records its safe correction.

Undo versus Revert

Revert does not remove secrets

If a password, token, private key, or API key was committed, Revert does not make it safe. The original value remains in Git history.

1. Treat the secret as exposed.
2. Revoke or rotate it immediately.
3. Remove it from the current project version.
4. Ask a responsible developer or mentor to help clean Git history.
5. Never publish a real secret again to test the fix.

Checklist

• I checked whether the commit was pushed.
• I chose Undo for a local commit.
• I chose Revert for a published commit.
• I reviewed the diff before and after.
• I will not rely on Revert to protect a leaked secret.