How to restore a deleted file in Git

To restore a deleted file that you have not committed yet, run `git restore path/to/file`. If the deletion is already in a commit, find that commit with git log --diff-filter=D -- path/to/file, then run git restore --source=<commit>^ -- path/to/file. Git can bring back anything it once stored, so a file that was committed is almost always recoverable.

How do I restore a file I just deleted?

If git status lists the file under “Changes not staged for commit”, copy it back from the index:

git restore src/app.ts

How do I restore a file after git rm?

git rm deletes the file and stages the deletion, so it shows under “Changes to be committed”. Restore both the index and the working folder from HEAD:

git restore --staged --worktree src/app.ts

How do I restore a file deleted in an earlier commit?

First find the commit that deleted it. --diff-filter=D shows only deletions:

git log --oneline --diff-filter=D -- src/app.ts

That commit no longer has the file, but its parent does. The ^ means “the parent of”, so this restores the last version before the deletion:

git restore --source=4f2a9c1^ -- src/app.ts

The file comes back to your working folder as a new change. Review it, then stage and commit it like any other edit. On a Git older than 2.23, git checkout 4f2a9c1^ -- src/app.ts does the same job and also stages the file.

What if I do not remember the full path?

Search every branch for the file name. Keep the quotes, so Git expands the pattern rather than your shell:

git log --all --diff-filter=D --name-only --oneline -- "**/app.ts"

What can Git not bring back?

• A file that was never staged or committed. Git never stored it. Check your editor’s local history or your system backup.
• Files removed by `git clean`. They were untracked, so Git keeps no copy.
• Unstaged edits replaced by `git restore`. The command overwrites them, so run it only when you mean to.

A file that was staged once and then lost can sometimes be found with git fsck --lost-found, which lists blobs that nothing points at. The post on undoing a reset, rebase or commit covers lost commits, the lesson on file history and blame shows how to follow a file back through time, and the guide to discarding and cleaning explains what GitTree saves first.