Fixing Common Git Errors

Don't panic! Every Git error has a solution. This guide covers the most common Git problems developers face in 2025 and how to fix them safely.

Updated 2025
15 min read
All Levels

Before You Start: Safety First

Before attempting any fix, remember these golden rules:

  • Git rarely loses data. Your work is probably recoverable.
  • Use git status to understand the current state.
  • When in doubt, create a backup: git branch backup-branch
  • The reflog is your friend: git reflog

Common Git Errors & Solutions

Error: Merge Conflict

CONFLICT (content): Merge conflict in app.js
Automatic merge failed; fix conflicts and then commit the result.

Why This Happens

Git can't automatically determine which changes to keep when the same lines were modified in both branches. This is actually Git protecting you from losing work!

Step-by-Step Solution

1. See which files have conflicts:

git status

Files with conflicts will be listed under "Unmerged paths"

2. Open the conflicted file. You'll see markers like this:

<<<<<<< HEAD
const greeting = "Hello";
=======
const greeting = "Hi there";
>>>>>>> feature-branch

• <<<<<<< HEAD = Your current branch's version
• ======= = Separator
• >>>>>>> feature-branch = Incoming branch's version

3. Resolve the conflict by editing the file:

// Choose one version, combine them, or write something new
const greeting = "Hello there"; // Combined both

Remove the conflict markers and keep the code you want.

4. Mark the conflict as resolved:

git add app.js

5. Complete the merge:

git commit -m "Resolve merge conflict in app.js"

Pro Tips

  • • Use VS Code's merge conflict editor for visual resolution
  • • Abort the merge if needed: git merge --abort
  • • Use merge tools: git mergetool

Error: I Need to Undo My Last Commit

Scenario: Wrong commit message or forgot to add files

Option 1: Undo commit but keep changes (Most Common)

git reset --soft HEAD~1

Your changes stay staged. You can now fix them and commit again.

Option 2: Undo commit and unstage changes

git reset HEAD~1

Changes go back to the working directory (unstaged). Good if you want to review before re-committing.

Option 3: Fix the commit message only

git commit --amend -m "Fixed commit message"

Keeps the changes but replaces the commit message.

Option 4: Add forgotten files to the last commit

git add forgotten-file.js\ngit commit --amend --no-edit

Adds new files to the previous commit without changing the message.

Warning

Never use --amend or reset on commits you've already pushed and shared with others. It rewrites history and will cause problems for your team.

Error: Detached HEAD State

You are in 'detached HEAD' state. You can look around, make experimental changes...
but they will be orphaned when you checkout another branch.

Why This Happens

You checked out a specific commit instead of a branch. Any new commits won't belong to any branch and might be lost when you switch branches.

Solutions

If you haven't made changes yet:

git checkout main\n# or\ngit switch main

Just go back to your branch. No harm done.

If you made commits in detached HEAD:

# Create a new branch from here\ngit branch my-detached-work\ngit checkout my-detached-work\n\n# Now merge it into main if needed\ngit checkout main\ngit merge my-detached-work

Error: Push Rejected (Non-Fast-Forward)

! [rejected] main -> main (non-fast-forward)
error: failed to push some refs to 'origin'
hint: Updates were rejected because the tip of your current branch is behind

Why This Happens

Someone else pushed changes to the remote branch before you did. Git won't let you overwrite their work.

Solution

1. Pull the remote changes first:

git pull origin main

This will merge the remote changes with your local commits.

2. If there are merge conflicts, resolve them (see above)

3. Push again:

git push origin main

Alternative: Rebase instead of merge (cleaner history):

git pull --rebase origin main\n# Resolve any conflicts\ngit push origin main

Never Do This

git push --force will overwrite others' work. Only use it on your own branches, never on shared branches like main.

Error: I Lost My Commits (Accidentally Reset/Deleted)

Don't Panic! Git Reflog to the Rescue

Git keeps a log of every HEAD movement for 30+ days. Your commits are probably still there.

1. View the reflog:

git reflog

This shows all recent actions. Look for the commit you lost.

2. Find your lost commit in the output:

abc1234 HEAD@{0}: reset: moving to HEAD~1
def5678 HEAD@{1}: commit: My important commit  ← This one!
ghi9012 HEAD@{2}: commit: Previous commit

3. Recover it:

git checkout def5678\n# Or create a branch from it\ngit branch recovered-work def5678

4. Merge it back to main:

git checkout main\ngit merge recovered-work

Pro Tip

The reflog is local to your machine. If you haven't pushed your commits, they only exist in your local reflog. Always push important work!

Error: I Committed to the Wrong Branch

Scenario: You committed to main instead of a feature branch

1. Create a new branch with your commits:

git branch feature-branch

This creates a new branch pointing to your current commit. Your work is now safe!

2. Move main back to where it was:

git reset --hard origin/main

This resets main to match the remote, removing your commits from main.

3. Switch to your feature branch:

git checkout feature-branch

Your commits are safe on the feature branch!

Error: Permission Denied (publickey)

Permission denied (publickey).
fatal: Could not read from remote repository.

Why This Happens

Git can't authenticate with the remote server (GitHub, GitLab, etc.) because your SSH key isn't set up or recognized.

1. Check if you have an SSH key:

ls -al ~/.ssh

Look for id_rsa and id_rsa.pub (or id_ed25519 and id_ed25519.pub)

2. If no SSH key exists, create one:

ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "your_email@example.com"

3. Add the key to your SSH agent:

eval "$(ssh-agent -s)"
ssh-add ~/.ssh/id_ed25519

4. Copy your public key:

cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub

Copy the entire output and add it to your GitHub/GitLab account settings under SSH keys.

5. Test the connection:

ssh -T git@github.com

Quick Error Recovery Commands

Check Status

git status

View Recent Actions

git reflog

Abort Merge

git merge --abort

Abort Rebase

git rebase --abort

Undo Last Commit (Keep Changes)

git reset --soft HEAD~1

Discard Local Changes

git restore file.txt

Continue Learning