Git: can't undo local changes (error: path ... is unmerged)

Question

I have following working tree state

$ git status foo/bar.txt # On branch master # Unmerged paths: #   (use "git reset HEAD <file>..." to unstage) #   (use "git add/rm <file>..." as appropriate to mark resolution) # #       deleted by us:      foo/bar.txt # no changes added to commit (use "git add" and/or "git commit -a") 

File foo/bar.txt is there and I want to get it to the "unchanged state" again (similar to 'svn revert'):

$ git checkout HEAD foo/bar.txt error: path 'foo/bar.txt' is unmerged $ git reset HEAD foo/bar.txt Unstaged changes after reset: M       foo/bar.txt 

Now it is getting confusing:

$ git status foo/bar.txt # On branch master # Changes to be committed: #   (use "git reset HEAD <file>..." to unstage) # #       new file:   foo/bar.txt # # Changed but not updated: #   (use "git add <file>..." to update what will be committed) #   (use "git checkout -- <file>..." to discard changes in working directory) # #       modified:   foo/bar.txt # 

The same file in both sections, new and modified? What should I do?

Answer 1

You did it the wrong way around. You are meant to reset first, to unstage the file, then checkout, to revert local changes.

Try this:

$ git reset foo/bar.txt $ git checkout foo/bar.txt