I want to remove file1.txt from my Git repository completely—not just from my working directory but also from version control. What’s the proper way to git delete file so that it’s staged for deletion and removed in the next commit?
Do I need to use git rm, or is there another command that handles both the local deletion and Git index update? A simple example would be really helpful!
From my experience, the most straightforward way to git delete file is using git rm. This command does two things—it deletes the file from your working directory and stages it for deletion in your next commit. So, here’s what you’d run:
git rm file1.txt
git commit -m "Remove file1.txt from repo"
That’s all there is to it! This tells Git you’re intentionally removing the file, and it reflects in your commit history cleanly. It’s especially helpful if you’re collaborating with others because it keeps things traceable and clear.
Good point, @macy-davis ! But let’s say you’ve already manually deleted file1.txt using your file explorer or with a command like rm file1.txt. You can still git delete file in Git by letting Git know about the deletion. Here’s how you can do it:
git add -u
git commit -m "Deleted file1.txt"
The -u flag tells Git to stage all tracked file changes, including deletions. This approach is really useful if you’re cleaning up multiple files manually and don’t want to run git rm on each one. Just remember, this only works if the file was previously tracked!
If you need to git delete file but keep it locally (like when you want to stop tracking a file without losing it from your working directory), there’s a special way to do that too. You can use:
git rm --cached file1.txt
git commit -m "Stop tracking file1.txt"
This removes the file from the repository but keeps it on your local disk. I often use this when I accidentally commit configuration files or .env files that shouldn’t be in version control. Just don’t forget to add the file to .gitignore afterward to avoid accidentally tracking it again!