How to Discard All Changes in Git: Simple Commands

To discard all changes in Git, use git restore . to undo changes in tracked files and git clean -fd to remove untracked files and directories. Alternatively, git reset --hard resets all changes including staged files to the last commit.

Syntax

Here are the main commands to discard changes in Git:

• git restore .: Discards changes in all tracked files in the current directory.
• git clean -fd: Removes all untracked files and directories.
• git reset --hard: Resets the working directory and staging area to the last commit, discarding all changes.

bash

git restore .
git clean -fd
git reset --hard

Example

This example shows how to discard all changes including untracked files:

bash

$ git status
On branch main
Changes not staged for commit:
  (use "git add <file>..." to update what will be committed)
  (use "git restore <file>..." to discard changes in working directory)
	modified:   file1.txt

Untracked files:
  (use "git add <file>..." to include in what will be committed)
	newfile.txt

$ git restore .
$ git clean -fd
$ git status
On branch main
nothing to commit, working tree clean

Output

On branch main
Changes not staged for commit:
  (use "git add <file>..." to update what will be committed)
  (use "git restore <file>..." to discard changes in working directory)
	modified:   file1.txt

Untracked files:
  (use "git add <file>..." to include in what will be committed)
	newfile.txt

On branch main
nothing to commit, working tree clean

Common Pitfalls

Common mistakes when discarding changes:

• Using git reset --hard without saving important changes causes permanent loss.
• Forgetting to remove untracked files with git clean -fd leaves unwanted files behind.
• Running these commands in the wrong directory can discard changes unintentionally.

bash

$ git reset --hard
# This will discard all changes including staged ones

# Wrong: forgetting to clean untracked files
$ git restore .
# Untracked files remain

# Right: clean untracked files too
$ git clean -fd

Quick Reference

Command	Purpose
git restore .	Discard changes in all tracked files
git clean -fd	Remove untracked files and directories
git reset --hard	Reset working directory and staging area to last commit

Key Takeaways

Use git restore . to discard changes in tracked files safely.

Run git clean -fd to remove all untracked files and directories.

git reset --hard resets everything but will permanently lose changes.

Always check git status before discarding to avoid losing work.

Run these commands in the correct directory to avoid unintended data loss.