Cheat Sheets · Git Cheat Sheet · Git Change Commit Author — Email & Name

Git Change Commit Author — Email & Name

Latest Commit

git commit --amend --author="Name " --no-edit

Future Commits

git config user.email "email@example.com"

Global Default

git config --global user.name "Name"

Author correction patterns

Scope	Command	Use Case
`Latest Commit`	`git commit --amend --author="Name <email@example.com>" --no-edit`	`Update author on top commit without changing message`
`Future Commits`	`git config user.email "email@example.com"`	`Fix email for all future commits in current repository`
`Global Default`	`git config --global user.name "Name"`	`Set default identity across your entire system`

Fix accidental personal email or wrong author name on your commits before pushing to public repositories.

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 Amend the Last Commit Undo a Pushed Commit — The Safe Way (git revert) Rename Local Branch — Safely & Quickly Rename Remote Branch — Complete 3-Step Process Cherry Pick — Apply a Specific Commit Elsewhere Squash Last N Commits — Combine Multiple Commits Sync Fork with Upstream — Step-by-Step Delete Remote Tag — Local and Remote Unstage File — Remove from Staging Area Log Graph — Visual Commit History in Terminal Clean Untracked Files — Remove Clutter Safely Switch Branch — Modern Branch Navigation Create Branch from Commit — Branch Off History Stash Untracked Files (-u and -a Flags) Force Pull — Overwrite Local Changes with Remote Resolve Merge Conflict — Complete Workflow Show Commit — Inspect Changes in a Commit Tag a Release — Lightweight & Annotated Tags

FAQ

Does changing author rewrite the commit SHA?
Yes. Any modification to author, email, timestamp, or message produces a new commit SHA.

Can I change author on older pushed commits?
Yes, via interactive rebase or git-filter-repo, but it rewrites history. Use caution on shared branches.

What is the difference between author and committer?
Author wrote the code; committer applied the commit (e.g. cherry-pick or rebase). --amend updates author; committer becomes the current user.

Stop memorizing — build it interactively

Try author commands in the Git Builder

Full reference: Git Cheat Sheet