Remove

The git rm command is used for removing files or directories from a Git repository.

Deleting Files

To remove a file from Git, it has to be removed from tracked files (from the staging area) and then committed. The git rm command accomplishes this task. It also removes the file from the working directory so that it’s no longer an untracked file.

Deleting a File From the Working Directory

If a file is deleted from the working directory, it will appear in the “Changes not staged for commit” section of the git status output.

rm PROJECTS.md
git status

Utilizing git rm for Staged File Removal

Running git rm stages the removal of the file, preparing it for the next commit.

git rm PROJECTS.md
git status

Options

The git rm commands supports several options, including:

• -f, --force: Used to forcefully remove a file. Use with caution as it permanently deletes the file from the working directory.

• --cached: Used to remove a file from the Git repository but retain it in the working directory. It effectively stops tracking the file, but the file itself remains in the local filesystem.

• -r: Used to remove a directory and its contents recursively.

• --dry-run: Demonstrates what would be removed without actually removing anything.

Examples

Remove a files

To remove a file name example.txt from the repository.

git rm example.txt

Remove a Directory and its Contents

To remove a directory named myfolder and all its contents.

git rm -r myfolder

Remove a File but Keep it in Working Directory

To stop tracking a file important.doc but keep it in the working directory.

git rm --cached important.doc