Cheat Sheets · Git Cheat Sheet · Git Squash Last N Commits — Combine Multiple Commits

Git Squash Last N Commits — Combine Multiple Commits

Soft Reset

git reset --soft HEAD~N && git commit -m "feat: clean message"

Interactive Rebase

git rebase -i HEAD~N (mark top as pick, others as squash)

Two approaches to squashing

Approach	Commands	Best For
`Soft Reset`	`git reset --soft HEAD~N && git commit -m "feat: clean message"`	`Quickly squashing the top N commits into one`
`Interactive Rebase`	`git rebase -i HEAD~N (mark top as pick, others as squash)`	`Selective squashing, reordering, or editing messages`

Squashing combines messy "wip", "typo", and "fix" commits into a single clean commit before merging into main or opening a pull request.

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 Sync Fork with Upstream — Step-by-Step Delete Remote Tag — Local and Remote Change Commit Author — Email & Name 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

What is the difference between soft reset and rebase -i for squashing?
Soft reset collapses everything in one step without prompts. Interactive rebase gives you full control to reorder, squash, or drop individual commits.

Can I squash commits that were already pushed?
Only on private feature branches. If pushed, you must push with --force-with-lease. Never squash on shared branches.

How to squash all commits on a feature branch against main?
Run git reset $(git merge-base main HEAD) and commit.

Stop memorizing — build it interactively

Build squash workflows in the Git Builder

Full reference: Git Cheat Sheet