# Git: How to Abort a Merge and Restore Previous State

> Run git merge --abort to cancel an in-progress merge and restore the repository to its pre-merge state, or use git reset --hard or --merge instead

**URL:** https://sentry.io/answers/abort-a-merge-in-git/

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## The Problem

How can I abort a merge in Git and return my repository to its previous state?

## The Solution

We can use the [`git merge`](https://git-scm.com/docs/git-merge) command to abort a merge:

```bash
git merge --abort
```

Alternatively, we can use [`git reset --hard HEAD`](https://git-scm.com/docs/git-reset#Documentation/git-reset.txt---hard) or [`git reset --merge`](https://git-scm.com/docs/git-reset#Documentation/git-reset.txt---merge), which will achieve the same thing.

Note that the presence of merge conflicts does not mean that we have to abort the merge. To successfully resolve the conflicts and complete the merge, see [our answer about merge conflicts in Git](https://sentry.io/answers/resolve-merge-conflicts-in-git/).

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*Source: [sentry.io/answers/abort-a-merge-in-git/](https://sentry.io/answers/abort-a-merge-in-git/)*