How to stop tracking a file in Git

When you're working with Git, you might find yourself needing to stop tracking a file without deleting it from your local directory. This can be necessary for files that contain sensitive data, are too large, or simply don't belong in a repository. Here, we’ll explore how to do this effectively, touching on different methods and considerations.

Understanding the basics of tracking and untracking files

In Git, "tracking" refers to files that are included in version control. When you stop tracking a file, you essentially tell Git to ignore future changes to that file. However, it’s important to differentiate between stopping the tracking of a file and removing a file from the repository:

• Stopping tracking: The file remains in your working directory but changes to the file won't be tracked in new commits.
• Removing from the repository: The file is deleted from the repo but can remain in your local workspace if specified.

Using .gitignore to exclude files

The simplest way to stop tracking a new file is to add it to .gitignore. This special file contains patterns that match file names or paths, which Git will then ignore.

1. Open your terminal.
2. Navigate to your repository’s root directory.
3. Open .gitignore in your text editor:
   Terminal

   vim .gitignore
   
   

4. Add the relative path to the file or pattern you want to ignore, then save and close the editor:
   Terminal

   path/to/your/file.log
   
   

5. Commit the changes to .gitignore:
   Terminal

   git add .gitignore
   git commit -m "Update .gitignore to exclude file.log"
   
   

Note that .gitignore only prevents untracked files from being added to the repository. If the file is already tracked, additional steps are required.

Removing a tracked file from the repository but keeping it locally

If a file is already tracked by Git and you want to stop tracking it without deleting it from your local directory, use the git rm --cached command. This removes the file from the index (staging area) while keeping it on your disk.

1. Run the following command:
   Terminal

   git rm --cached path/to/your/file.log
   
   

2. Commit the change:
   Terminal

   git commit -m "Stop tracking file.log"
   
   

This command updates the repository to no longer track the file, but it remains untouched in your working directory.

Additional considerations

• Commit history: The file’s previous history will remain in the repository. If you need to remove all traces of the file from Git history due to sensitive data, see this guide on how to handle sensitive data leaks in Git.
• Global ignores: For files that should be ignored across all your Git repositories (like system files or IDE configuration), consider using a global .gitignore file:
  Terminal

  git config --global core.excludesfile '~/.gitignore_global'
  
  

• Check ignored files: To see what files are currently ignored in your project, you can use:
  Terminal

  git status --ignored
  
  

For further reading on tracking files in Git, see the official Git documentation.