Recover deleted git branch from local

You are the boss of yourself, you deleted it, you recover it.

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Recover a Deleted Git Branch Without Diving Too Deep

Oops! Accidentally deleted a branch? No worries. Here’s how you can recover it quickly without breaking a sweat.

Step 1: Find the Commit (SHA) of the Deleted Branch

First, we need to locate the commit history of the branch you deleted. Git keeps a handy log called reflog, which tracks all the HEAD pointers, even for deleted branches.

Run the following command:

git reflog

This will give you a list of all recent actions in your repository, including the SHA (commit hash) of your deleted branch.

Step 2: Restore the Deleted Branch

Once you have the SHA, restoring the branch is straightforward:

git checkout -b <branch_name> <sha>

And boom, your branch is back! 🎉

Quick Git Concept: What’s HEAD?

Before clapping (yes, you can clap 50 times on Medium!), let me quickly explain something crucial — HEAD.

HEAD is like a pointer that always references the current state of your repository. Think of it as:

• The tip of your current branch.
• The last place where your repository left off.
• The parent of your next commit (essentially, where the next commit will be recorded).

Whenever you switch branches, make commits, or create a new branch, Git updates the HEAD pointer accordingly.

Even if you delete a branch, the HEAD history persists, and this is exactly what allows us to recover deleted branches.

Understanding git reflog with an Example

Let’s walk through this with a practical example:

Step 1: Check the Reflog on the Master Branch

git branch
* master
git reflog
ce656f5 HEAD@{0}: commit (initial): Initial commit

This shows the initial commit SHA for the master branch.

Step 2: Create a New Branch and Commit Changes

git checkout -b test
Switched to a new branch 'test'
# Make some changes to a file and commit them
git add .
git commit -m "This is test branch commit after change"
[test 9867883] This is test branch commit after change

Step 3: Check the Reflog Again

git reflog
9867883 HEAD@{0}: commit: This is test branch commit after change  
ce656f5 HEAD@{1}: checkout: moving from master to test  
ce656f5 HEAD@{2}: commit (initial): Initial commit

Notice how a new HEAD (HEAD@{1}) was created when we switched to the test branch. The SHA of the test branch’s initial state matches the master branch (since no changes were made at first).

Step 4: Delete the Test Branch

git checkout master
git branch -D test
Deleted branch test (was 9867883).

Step 5: Check the Reflog After Deletion

git reflog
ce656f5 HEAD@{0}: checkout: moving from test to master  
9867883 HEAD@{1}: commit: This is test branch commit after change  
ce656f5 HEAD@{2}: checkout: moving from master to test  
ce656f5 HEAD@{3}: commit (initial): Initial commit

Even though the test branch is deleted, its last commit (SHA 9867883) still exists in the reflog.

Step 6: Recover the Deleted Branch

Here’s how you bring back your branch:

git checkout -b recovered_test 9867883
Switched to a new branch 'recovered_test'

Check your branches now:

git branch
* master  
  recovered_test

And just like that, your branch is restored! 🎉

Wrap-Up

If you made it this far, congratulations — you’ve successfully learned how to recover a deleted Git branch like a pro. The key takeaway here is that git reflog is your best friend when it comes to undoing accidental deletions.

Happy coding! 👩‍💻👨‍💻