Move branch pointer to different commit without checkout

Question

To move the branch pointer of a checked-out branch, one can use the git reset --hard command. But how to move the branch pointer of a not-checked out branch to point at a different commit (keeping all other stuff like a tracked remote branch)?

Answer 1

In case if you just want to move a branch to another commit:

$ git branch -f branch-name new-tip-commit

In order to move a branch pointer:

$ git update-ref -m "reset: Reset <branch> to <new commit>" refs/heads/<branch> <commit>

The general form:

$ git update-ref -m "reset: Reset <branch> to <new commit>" <ref> <commit>

For more git commands, you can visit the git tutorial.