How to Remove a File from a Git Commit: A Practical Guide

Mistakenly committed a file to Git? Whether it’s a .env file with sensitive information, a large log file, or simply the wrong version of a document — it happens to the best of us.

Fortunately, Git gives you powerful tools to remove a file from a commit — whether the commit is staged, local, or already pushed. In this guide, we’ll walk you through several scenarios and how to fix them properly.

Table of Contents

🔍 Scenario 1: File Was Just Added, But Not Yet Committed

If you staged the file using git add, but haven’t committed yet:

✅ Solution: Unstage the File

git reset HEAD <file-name>

Then, if you also want to remove it from your working directory:

rm <file-name>

🔍 Scenario 2: File Committed, But Not Yet Pushed

If you already made the commit, but haven’t pushed it to a remote repository:

✅ Solution: Amend the Last Commit

First, remove the file from Git tracking:

git rm --cached <file-name>

Then amend the last commit:

git commit --amend

This will open your default text editor. Save and close to confirm the updated commit without the file.

⚠️ Note: This rewrites your commit history. Only do this before pushing.

🔍 Scenario 3: File Is in a Previous Commit, and You’ve Already Pushed

If the file is already part of a pushed commit and you need to completely remove it from the repository (e.g., for security reasons):

✅ Solution: Use `git filter-repo` (Recommended over `filter-branch`)

First, install git-filter-repo (requires Python):

https://github.com/newren/git-filter-repo

Then, run:

git filter-repo --path <file-name> --invert-paths

This will completely remove the file from all commits in history.

After that:

git push --force

⚠️ Use --force carefully — this rewrites history and affects collaborators.

🛡️ Add the File to `.gitignore`

To prevent accidentally committing the file again in the future:

Open (or create) a .gitignore file in your repo root.
Add the file name or pattern:

# Ignore sensitive file
.env

Save and commit the .gitignore file.

✅ Summary Table

Situation	Solution
Staged but not committed	`git reset HEAD <file>`
Committed but not pushed	`git rm --cached <file>` + `--amend`
Already pushed & sensitive	Use `git filter-repo` + `git push --force`
Prevent future commits	Add to `.gitignore`

Final Thoughts

Removing a file from a Git commit isn’t difficult, but choosing the right method for your situation is crucial. Always double-check what’s being committed — and when mistakes happen, Git has your back with flexible solutions.