Version control is the backbone of modern software development, and Git is the tool of choice for millions of developers. But even seasoned Git users occasionally need to remove a file—whether it’s a mistakenly committed secret, a large binary file, or simply outdated code.
In this blog, we’ll explore the right way to remove a file from Git, both from the repository and from tracking, using best practices.
Why You Might Want to Remove a File from Git
There are several scenarios where removing a file from Git becomes necessary:
- The file was added by mistake (e.g.,
.env, API keys, logs). - The file is no longer needed.
- You want to stop tracking a file but keep it locally.
- You’ve added a file to
.gitignorebut it’s still being tracked.
Git provides a powerful and flexible way to handle these cases using the git rm command.
1. Removing a File from the Repository and Your Local Directory
To completely remove a file from the repository and your local working directory:
git rm filename.txt
git commit -m "Remove filename.txt"
This command does two things:
- Deletes the file from your working directory.
- Stages the deletion for your next commit.
After committing, push the changes to the remote repository:
git push origin branch-name
Replace branch-name with your working branch name (e.g., main, develop).
2. Removing a File from Git but Keeping It Locally
Sometimes, you want Git to stop tracking a file, but you don’t want to delete it from your local system—common with files like .env or config.local.json.
Use the --cached flag:
git rm --cached filename.txt
git commit -m "Stop tracking filename.txt"
This tells Git to stop tracking the file, but it remains in your local file system.
Don’t forget to add it to your .gitignore to prevent future commits:
echo "filename.txt" >> .gitignore
3. Removing Multiple Files or File Patterns
You can remove several files at once or even entire file types:
git rm file1.txt file2.log
Or by using glob patterns:
git rm '*.log'
This is especially helpful when cleaning up auto-generated files or logs.
4. Untracking Ignored Files
A common mistake is adding a file to .gitignore after it’s already being tracked. Simply adding it to .gitignore doesn’t stop Git from tracking the file.
Here’s how to properly stop tracking it:
git rm --cached filename.txt
git commit -m "Remove ignored file from tracking"
This ensures the file won’t be tracked in future commits.
5. Important Notes
- Removing files is permanent in history. If you push to the remote repository, the file will be gone from the current version. However, it will still exist in commit history unless you rewrite history (e.g., with
git filter-branchorBFG). - Be cautious with shared branches. Removing files can affect other team members. Always communicate changes in shared repositories.
- Use
.gitignoreproactively. Avoid tracking unnecessary files by setting up.gitignoreearly in your project.
Conclusion
Knowing how to properly remove files from Git is essential for maintaining a clean, efficient, and secure codebase. Whether you’re eliminating sensitive data or simply cleaning house, git rm gives you the control you need. Remember to commit and push your changes, and keep your .gitignore file up to date to prevent accidental tracking in the future.
