How to See Who Changed a File in Git: Simple Commands

Use git blame <file> to see line-by-line who last changed each part of a file. Alternatively, use git log --follow <file> to view the full history of changes and authors for that file.

Syntax

git blame <file>: Shows the last commit and author for each line in the file.

git log --follow <file>: Lists all commits that changed the file, including renames.

bash

git blame <file>
git log --follow <file>

Example

This example shows how to find who last changed each line of README.md and how to see the full commit history for it.

bash

git blame README.md
git log --follow README.md

Output

commit 1a2b3c4d5e6f7g8h9i0j
Author: Jane Doe <[e-mail]>
Date:   2024-06-01

    Update README with usage instructions

...

commit 0j9i8h7g6f5e4d3c2b1a
Author: John Smith <[e-mail]>
Date:   2024-05-20

    Initial README creation

...

Common Pitfalls

• Using git blame on a file that was renamed may not show full history unless --follow is used with git log.
• For large files, git blame output can be overwhelming; consider limiting lines or using GUI tools.
• Confusing git blame output with the entire file history; it only shows the last change per line.

bash

git blame oldname.txt  # May miss history if file was renamed

git log --follow oldname.txt  # Correct way to track history across renames

Quick Reference

Command	Purpose
git blame	Show last author and commit per line in the file
git log --follow	Show full commit history including renames
git show	See details of a specific commit
git diff --	See changes between commits for the file

Key Takeaways

Use git blame to see who last changed each line of a file.

Use git log --follow to see the full history of a file including renames.

git blame shows only the last change per line, not full history.

For renamed files, always use --follow with git log to track history.

Check specific commits with git show for detailed change info.