---
title: Checking out a commit in GitHub Desktop
shortTitle: Checking out a commit
intro: 'You can use {% data variables.product.prodname_desktop %} to checkout a previous commit in your repository.'
versions:
  fpt: '*'
  ghec: '*'
  ghes: '*'
redirect_from:
  - /desktop/contributing-and-collaborating-using-github-desktop/managing-commits/checking-out-a-commit-in-github-desktop
---

## About checking out a commit

Checking out a commit allows you to view your repository in a previous state without needing to create a new branch or modify an existing branch. This can be helpful when debugging since it allows you to see if a bug exists in your repository at a previous commit.

Checking out a commit puts your repository in a "detached HEAD" state. In Git terminology "HEAD" is the reference that points to the tip, or latest commit, of a named branch in your repository. A "detached HEAD" state means that HEAD refers to a specific commit, but not on a named branch in your repository.

> [!NOTE]
> Any commits made in a "detached HEAD" state will be lost when switching branches, since these commits have not been made on a named branch. If you need to recover the lost commits, see [Troubleshooting](#troubleshooting).

## Checking out a commit

{% data reusables.desktop.history-tab %}
1. Right-click on the commit you would like to checkout and select **Checkout commit**.
    ![Screenshot of a list of commits in the "History" tab. Next to a commit, in a context menu, the "Checkout Commit" option is outlined in orange.](/assets/images/help/desktop/checkout-commit.png)
1. The **{% octicon "git-branch" aria-hidden="true" aria-label="git-branch" %} Current Branch** item in the repository bar will now show "Detached HEAD", along with the SHA of the commit that was checked out.
    ![Screenshot of the repository bar. The "Current Branch" item shows a "Detached HEAD" state and is highlighted with an orange outline.](/assets/images/help/desktop/branch-item.png)
1. To exit the "detached HEAD" state you will need to switch branches. For more information, see [AUTOTITLE](/desktop/making-changes-in-a-branch/managing-branches-in-github-desktop#switching-between-branches).

## Troubleshooting

You can recover commits that have been made in a "detached HEAD" state using the `git reflog` command from the Git command line. You can open your repository in the command line from {% data variables.product.prodname_desktop %} by going to the menu bar, selecting **Repository**, and clicking **Open in command line**.

The `git reflog` command will show the output of events that have happened in your repository, including commits. Here is a sample output of the `git reflog` command:

```shell
81fa9136f8 (HEAD -> main) HEAD@{0}: checkout: moving from 8bd5e736a27a52a7e36a856b30e6f0582d341aa1 to main
8bd5e736a2 HEAD@{1}: commit: testing out a feature
22fa76c125 HEAD@{2}: checkout: moving from main to 22fa76c1250a2847305b9325752d941dbaa55983
```

The `8bd5e736a2 HEAD@{1}: commit: testing out a feature` line is the commit that we want to recover, since it was made while the repository was in a "detached HEAD" state. To recover it you can run `git cherry-pick 8bd5e736a2` to apply the commit to the current branch in your repository.

## Further reading

* [Detached HEAD](https://git-scm.com/docs/git-checkout#_detached_head) in the Git documentation
* [Git cherry-pick](https://git-scm.com/docs/git-cherry-pick) in the Git documentation