Cheat Sheets · Git Cheat Sheet · Git Amend the Last Commit

Git Amend the Last Commit

git commit --amend -m "new message"

Rewrite just the message

git add forgotten.txt && git commit --amend --no-edit

Fold a forgotten file into the commit, keep the message

git commit --amend --reset-author

Update the author timestamp/name to now

Amend patterns

Command	Effect
`git commit --amend -m "new message"`	`Rewrite just the message`
`git add forgotten.txt && git commit --amend --no-edit`	`Fold a forgotten file into the commit, keep the message`
`git commit --amend --reset-author`	`Update the author timestamp/name to now`

If the commit was already pushed

Command	Effect
`git push --force-with-lease`	`Force-push, but abort if someone else pushed in between (safer than --force)`
`git push`	`Rejected — a rewritten commit has a different SHA, the remote wants a force`

Amend replaces the last commit with a corrected version — same changes plus whatever you fix up. It is the tidy alternative to "oops" commits.

Related Git recipes

Undo Last Commit — 3 Safe Ways Discard Local Changes — Safely and Completely Delete a Branch — Local and Remote Stash — Park Changes Without Committing Undo a Pushed Commit — The Safe Way (git revert)

FAQ

I amended a pushed commit — now what?
You rewrote history: push with --force-with-lease (never bare --force) and warn collaborators to rebase their local copies. On protected branches, prefer a follow-up fix commit.

Does amend change the commit date?
The author date is kept by default; the committer date becomes now. Add --reset-author if you want both refreshed.

Amend vs fixup?
--amend fixes the TOP commit interactively. For older commits, use git rebase -i and mark commits as fixup/squash.

Stop memorizing — build it interactively

Generate amend & push commands in the Git Builder

Full reference: Git Cheat Sheet