How to See File Changes Before Commit in Git

Use git diff to see unstaged changes and git diff --staged to view changes staged for commit. Additionally, git status shows which files have been modified or staged.

Syntax

The main commands to see file changes before commit are:

• git diff: Shows changes in files that are not yet staged.
• git diff --staged (or git diff --cached): Shows changes that are staged and ready to be committed.
• git status: Lists files that are modified, staged, or untracked.

bash

git diff

git diff --staged

git status

Example

This example shows how to check changes before committing. First, modify a file, then check unstaged changes with git diff. Stage the file with git add, then check staged changes with git diff --staged. Finally, use git status to see the file states.

bash

echo "Hello" > file.txt
# Modify file.txt
echo "World" >> file.txt

# Check unstaged changes
 git diff

# Stage the file
 git add file.txt

# Check staged changes
 git diff --staged

# Check status
 git status

Output

diff --git a/file.txt b/file.txt
index e69de29..b6fc4c6 100644
--- a/file.txt
+++ b/file.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+Hello
+World

(diff output shows added lines)

On branch main
Changes to be committed:
  (use "git restore --staged <file>..." to unstage)
	modified:   file.txt

nothing else to commit, working tree clean

Common Pitfalls

Common mistakes include:

• Running git diff after staging changes, which shows no output because it only shows unstaged changes.
• Confusing git diff --staged with git diff.
• Not staging files before checking staged changes.

Always check git status to understand file states.

bash

git add file.txt

git diff  # Shows no output because changes are staged

git diff --staged  # Shows staged changes

Quick Reference

Command	Description
git diff	Shows unstaged changes in files
git diff --staged	Shows staged changes ready to commit
git status	Shows file states: modified, staged, untracked

Key Takeaways

Use git diff to see changes not yet staged for commit.

Use git diff --staged to see changes staged and ready to commit.

Always run git status to check the current state of files.

Staging files with git add moves changes from unstaged to staged.

Confusing unstaged and staged changes is a common source of errors.