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Git g1t-GUD

How do I fix a typo in my last commit?

You just made a commit. You see a typo in a file or in the commit message. You want to fix it and have it count as the same commit, not a new one.

There are two cases.

Case 1: Fix a typo in a file (and keep the same commit message)

  1. Fix the typo in the file. Save the file.
  2. Stage the fix:
Terminal window
git add the-file-you-fixed

Or stage everything:

Terminal window
git add .
  1. Change the last commit to include this fix:
Terminal window
git commit --amend --no-edit

--no-edit means: keep the same commit message. Your fix is now part of the last commit. You still have one commit, not two.

Case 2: Fix the commit message (the text you wrote for the commit)

You don’t need to change any files. Just run:

Terminal window
git commit --amend -m "New message here"

Replace “New message here” with the correct message. The last commit now has the new message.

If you already pushed that commit to GitHub

After you run git commit --amend, your history changed. So you have to push again with:

Terminal window
git push --force

Only do this if no one else is using the same branch. Force push can cause problems for others. If you work alone on this repo, it’s fine.