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Recovering with reflog

Use reflog to locate previous references and recover from reset, rebase, or lost branch states.

What reflog is

Reflog is a local record of reference movement. When HEAD or a branch reference changes, Git usually records that movement.

That makes it especially useful after:

  • a reset you regret
  • a rebase that went wrong
  • a checkout, merge, or commit you want to backtrack from

The usual recovery flow

git reflog
git branch recovery/<name> <commit>

Create a rescue branch first when you want a safer recovery path.

Related Reads

git reflog

Read reference movement history, which makes reflog one of the most important commands for recovery after reset, rebase, and branch mistakes.

git reset Tutorial

Explains how git reset moves HEAD, updates the index, and optionally overwrites the working tree through soft, mixed, and hard modes.

git rebase Tutorial

Explains the core model of git rebase, recommended workflows, risks, and recovery options.