Git is a popular version control software that allows developers to maintain software repositories and work collaboratively. However, learning Git is a bit of a steep slope, and you’ll have to put in some time before you can master the basics.

That doesn’t mean that you won’t make mistakes or run into random bugs or errors. In this article, we’re talking about the “Error: You need to resolve your current index first” issue in Git, its causes and what you can do to fix the problem.

Also read: How to create a Git repository? How to connect it to GitHub?

What causes this error?

Two main reasons cause the error in Git:

A failed merge
Conflict in files with your local drive and the Git branch you’re targeting.

How to fix this?

Here are four simple fixes you can try out.

Ensure all changes are committed

Before you try to push code to your Git repo, check to make sure that you’ve committed all changes. If you don’t, chances are you’ll miss something out, which will then cause conflicts during the push.

git add .
git commit -m "Commit message"

Abort current merge and revert to an old state

Another way of solving this error is to abort your current merge and return the target branch to its previous state.

git reset --merge
git reset --hard HEAD

Remember that this step is irreversible, meaning any changes you’ve made before the reset will disappear.

Also read: GitHub vs Git vs GitLab vs Bitbucket

Fix the conflicts

Not all conflicts can be managed by Git, especially within files. In such cases, the best option is to go through the problematic files one at a time and fix any conflicts manually. Once you’re done, try pushing your code using the above commands.

Force the push

If you’re pushing checkout code or know that your files are fine, you can force a commit, and the changes will go through. Keep in mind that this method is prone to data loss and only applies if the changes in the target branch aren’t significant.