Local History: hard reset to a specific point in history before Git merge

Problem

The "Revert Selected and Later Changes" option is not bringing the code back to the exact snapshot (commit) that it was before the attempted Merge

Resolution

Local History is not related to the VCS history (in this case Git). They are two separate timelines. Resetting to a point in local history does not reset your Git repository state (commits history, staging area, workarea) to the desired point.

To perform a hard reset and restore the code to the previous state before the Git merge, follow these steps:

1. Open the Version Control tool window in your IDE.
2. Navigate to the Log tab to view the Version History.
3. Identify the commit or state before the Git merge that you want to restore to.
4. To reset to this point:
   • Right-click the desired commit.
   • Select Reset Current Branch to Here....
   • Choose the Hard reset option to ensure that the state is reverted fully, including uncommitted changes.
5. Be aware that a Hard reset will discard all changes made after the selected commit. Ensure that you back up necessary files if needed.

For more details, refer to the relevant IntelliJ IDEA documentation on Version Control Basics.