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Git Cheat Sheet · Branches

Go to an old commit

git switch --detach <commit>

To see or test the project as it was at a specific commit, run git switch --detach <commit>. You are then on no branch at all: this is the "detached HEAD" state. Nothing is lost, and git switch <branch> takes you back where you were.

By , author of Merathon · published on

What it does

Puts the working copy in the state of a specific commit, without a branch ("detached HEAD").

A use case

You want to run the application as it was last week to reproduce a bug.

Warning: Commits created in detached HEAD are lost from view as soon as you switch branches: create a branch to keep them.

On the command line

git switch --detach <commit>
Goes to a commit, a tag or a remote branch.
git checkout <commit>
Older syntax, equivalent.
git switch -
Goes back to the previous branch.
git switch -c <branch>
Keeps the work done in detached HEAD in a new branch.

In Merathon

  1. Right-click the commit in the graph → "Check out this commit (detached HEAD)".
  2. To go back, double-click a branch in "Local".

Frequently asked questions

What does "You are in 'detached HEAD' state" mean?

HEAD points directly to a commit, not to a branch. You can look around, compile, test. If you commit, create a branch before leaving, otherwise those commits will no longer be visible.

I committed in detached HEAD, then switched branches: how do I get them back?

git reflog gives the hash of the last commit; git branch <branch> <hash> attaches it to a branch.

See also