Recover a Deleted Git Branch

Problem

You accidentally deleted a branch that wasn't fully merged, and now you need to get it back.

git branch -d feature-branch
# error: the branch 'feature-branch' is not fully merged
# hint: If you are sure you want to delete it, run 'git branch -D feature-branch'

git branch -D feature-branch
# Deleted branch feature-branch (was 1a98de2).

Solution

Git keeps unreferenced commits in its object database. When you delete a branch, Git shows the commit hash it was pointing to: (was 1a98de2).

Use that hash to recreate the branch:

git branch feature-branch 1a98de2

Your branch is now restored with all its commits intact.

If You Missed the Hash

Check the reflog to find recent branch tip changes:

git reflog

Look for entries like checkout: moving from feature-branch to main - the hash at the start of that line is what you need.

Or search for your branch specifically:

git reflog | grep feature-branch

Notes

• Git retains unreferenced commits for ~90 days by default before garbage collection
• The reflog only tracks local activity, so this won't help with branches deleted on other machines
• If git gc has run and removed the commit, recovery is not possible

See Also

• git reflog - View history of HEAD changes
• git fsck --lost-found - Find dangling commits