Git Cheat Sheet · Integrate

Abort a merge or a rebase

Q: How do I undo a rebase that has already finished?

git reflog shows where your branch was before the rebase; git reset --hard puts it back there.

git merge --abort · git rebase --abort

If a merge or a rebase goes wrong, you can cancel everything as long as it is not finished: git merge --abort or git rebase --abort puts your branch and your files back exactly as they were before the operation.

By Julien Dudek, author of Merathon · published on 4 November 2026

What it does

Cancels the current operation and puts the branch back in its previous state.

A use case

There are more conflicts than expected and you would rather discuss them before continuing.

On the command line

git merge --abort: Cancels a merge in progress.
git rebase --abort: Cancels a rebase in progress.
git cherry-pick --abort: Cancels a cherry-pick in progress.
git revert --abort: Cancels a revert in progress.

In Merathon

In the banner at the top of the right panel, click "Cancel operation" or "Cancel rebase".

Frequently asked questions

How do I undo a rebase that has already finished?

git reflog shows where your branch was before the rebase; git reset --hard <hash> puts it back there.

Does git merge --abort erase my changes?

It restores the state from before the merge. Uncommitted changes present before the merge can be lost: commit or stash before merging.