49 lines
3.4 KiB
Markdown
49 lines
3.4 KiB
Markdown
---
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title: Checking out a commit in GitHub Desktop
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shortTitle: Checking out a commit
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intro: 'You can use {% data variables.product.prodname_desktop %} to checkout a previous commit in your repository.'
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versions:
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fpt: '*'
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ghec: '*'
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ghes: '*'
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redirect_from:
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- /desktop/contributing-and-collaborating-using-github-desktop/managing-commits/checking-out-a-commit-in-github-desktop
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---
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## About checking out a commit
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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.
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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.
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> [!NOTE]
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> 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).
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## Checking out a commit
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{% data reusables.desktop.history-tab %}
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1. Right-click on the commit you would like to checkout and select **Checkout commit**.
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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.
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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).
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## Troubleshooting
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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**.
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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:
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```shell
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81fa9136f8 (HEAD -> main) HEAD@{0}: checkout: moving from 8bd5e736a27a52a7e36a856b30e6f0582d341aa1 to main
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8bd5e736a2 HEAD@{1}: commit: testing out a feature
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22fa76c125 HEAD@{2}: checkout: moving from main to 22fa76c1250a2847305b9325752d941dbaa55983
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```
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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.
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## Further reading
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* [Detached HEAD](https://git-scm.com/docs/git-checkout#_detached_head) in the Git documentation
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* [Git cherry-pick](https://git-scm.com/docs/git-cherry-pick) in the Git documentation
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