How to Use Git Stash: Save and Restore Changes Easily

Use git stash to save your uncommitted changes temporarily without committing them. Later, use git stash apply to restore those changes or git stash pop to restore and remove them from the stash list.

Syntax

The basic commands for git stash are:

• git stash: Saves your current changes and cleans your working directory.
• git stash apply [stash@{n}]: Restores the saved changes from the stash without removing them.
• git stash pop: Restores the saved changes and removes them from the stash list.
• git stash list: Shows all saved stashes.
• git stash drop [stash@{n}]: Deletes a specific stash.

bash

git stash

git stash apply [stash@{n}]

git stash pop

git stash list

git stash drop [stash@{n}]

Example

This example shows how to save changes, list stashes, and restore changes using git stash commands.

bash

echo "Initial content" > file.txt

# Make changes
echo "New line" >> file.txt

# Save changes to stash
 git stash

# Check stash list
 git stash list

# Restore changes
 git stash apply

# Check file content
 cat file.txt

Output

Saved working directory and index state WIP on main: <commit-hash> Initial commit
stash@{0}: WIP on main: <commit-hash> Initial commit
Initial content
New line

Common Pitfalls

Common mistakes when using git stash include:

• Forgetting to apply or pop the stash, leaving changes hidden.
• Using git stash apply without specifying the stash when multiple stashes exist, which applies the latest stash by default.
• Assuming git stash pop always succeeds; conflicts can occur and must be resolved manually.
• Not committing important changes before stashing, risking loss if the stash is dropped.

bash

git stash apply stash@{1}  # Apply specific stash

git stash pop              # Applies and removes stash, but may cause conflicts

# Wrong: expecting stash to be removed after apply
# Right: use pop to remove stash after applying

Quick Reference

Command	Description
git stash	Save current changes and clean working directory
git stash list	Show all saved stashes
git stash apply [stash@{n}]	Restore changes from stash without removing
git stash pop	Restore changes and remove stash
git stash drop [stash@{n}]	Delete a specific stash

Key Takeaways

Use git stash to save uncommitted changes temporarily without committing.

Restore changes with git stash apply to keep stash or git stash pop to remove it.

Always check git stash list to see saved stashes before applying or dropping.

Be careful with conflicts when applying or popping stashes; resolve them manually.

Do not rely on stash as a permanent backup; commit important changes regularly.