git-stash(1) Git Manual git-stash(1)
NAME
git-stash - Stash the changes in a dirty working directory away
SYNOPSIS
git stash list [<log-options>]
git stash show [-u | --include-untracked | --only-untracked] [<diff-options>] [<stash>]
git stash drop [-q | --quiet] [<stash>]
git stash pop [--index] [-q | --quiet] [<stash>]
git stash apply [--index] [-q | --quiet] [--label-ours=<label>] [--label-theirs=<label>] [--label-base=<label>] [<stash>]
git stash branch <branchname> [<stash>]
git stash [push] [-p | --patch] [-S | --staged] [-k | --[no-]keep-index] [-q | --quiet]
[-u | --include-untracked] [-a | --all] [(-m | --message) <message>]
[--pathspec-from-file=<file> [--pathspec-file-nul]]
[--] [<pathspec>...]
git stash save [-p | --patch] [-S | --staged] [-k | --[no-]keep-index] [-q | --quiet]
[-u | --include-untracked] [-a | --all] [<message>]
git stash clear
git stash create [<message>]
git stash store [(-m | --message) <message>] [-q | --quiet] <commit>
git stash export (--print | --to-ref <ref>) [<stash>...]
git stash import <commit>
DESCRIPTION
Use git stash when you want to record the current state of the working
directory and the index, but want to go back to a clean working
directory. The command saves your local modifications away and reverts
the working directory to match the HEAD commit.
The modifications stashed away by this command can be listed with git
stash list, inspected with git stash show, and restored (potentially on
top of a different commit) with git stash apply. Calling git stash
without any arguments is equivalent to git stash push. A stash is by
default listed as "WIP on <branchname> ...", but you can give a more
descriptive message on the command line when you create one.
The latest stash you created is stored in refs/stash; older stashes are
found in the reflog of this reference and can be named using the usual
reflog syntax (e.g. stash@{0} is the most recently created stash,
stash@{1} is the one before it, stash@{2.hours.ago} is also possible).
Stashes may also be referenced by specifying just the stash index (e.g.
the integer <n> is equivalent to stash@{<n>}).
COMMANDS
push [-p | --patch] [-S | --staged] [-k | --[no-]keep-index] [-u |
--include-untracked] [ -a | --all] [-q | --quiet] [(-m|--message)
<message>] [--pathspec-from-file=<file> [--pathspec-file-nul]] [--]
[<pathspec>...]
Save your local modifications to a new stash entry and roll them back
to HEAD (in the working tree and in the index). The <message> part is
optional and gives the description along with the stashed state.
For quickly making a snapshot, you can omit "push". In this mode,
pathspec elements are only allowed after a double hyphen -- to
prevent a misspelled subcommand from making an unwanted stash entry.
save [-p | --patch] [-S | --staged] [-k | --[no-]keep-index] [-u |
--include-untracked] [-a | --all] [-q | --quiet] [<message>]
This option is deprecated in favour of git stash push. It differs
from "stash push" in that it cannot take pathspec. Instead, all
non-option arguments are concatenated to form the stash message.
list [<log-options>]
List the stash entries that you currently have. Each stash entry is
listed with its name (e.g. stash@{0} is the latest entry, stash@{1}
is the one before, etc.), the name of the branch that was current
when the entry was made, and a short description of the commit the
entry was based on.
stash@{0}: WIP on submit: 6ebd0e2... Update git-stash documentation
stash@{1}: On master: 9cc0589... Add git-stash
The command takes options applicable to the git log command to
control what is shown and how. See git-log(1).
show [-u | --include-untracked | --only-untracked] [<diff-options>]
[<stash>]
Show the changes recorded in the stash entry as a diff between the
stashed contents and the commit back when the stash entry was first
created. By default, the command shows the diffstat, but it will
accept any format known to git diff (e.g., git stash show -p
stash@{1} to view the second most recent entry in patch form). If no
<diff-option> is provided, the default behavior will be given by the
stash.showStat, and stash.showPatch config variables. You can also
use stash.showIncludeUntracked to set whether --include-untracked is
enabled by default.
pop [--index] [-q | --quiet] [<stash>]
Remove a single stashed state from the stash list and apply it on top
of the current working tree state, i.e., do the inverse operation of
git stash push. The working directory must match the index.
Applying the state can fail with conflicts; in this case, it is not
removed from the stash list. You need to resolve the conflicts by
hand and call git stash drop manually afterwards.
apply [--index] [-q | --quiet] [<stash>]
Like pop, but do not remove the state from the stash list. Unlike
pop, <stash> may be any commit that looks like a commit created by
stash push or stash create.
branch <branchname> [<stash>]
Creates and checks out a new branch named <branchname> starting from
the commit at which the <stash> was originally created, applies the
changes recorded in <stash> to the new working tree and index. If
that succeeds, and <stash> is a reference of the form
stash@{<revision>}, it then drops the <stash>.
This is useful if the branch on which you ran git stash push has
changed enough that git stash apply fails due to conflicts. Since the
stash entry is applied on top of the commit that was HEAD at the time
git stash was run, it restores the originally stashed state with no
conflicts.
clear
Remove all the stash entries. Note that those entries will then be
subject to pruning, and may be impossible to recover (see EXAMPLES
below for a possible strategy).
drop [-q | --quiet] [<stash>]
Remove a single stash entry from the list of stash entries.
create
Create a stash entry (which is a regular commit object) and return
its object name, without storing it anywhere in the ref namespace.
This is intended to be useful for scripts. It is probably not the
command you want to use; see "push" above.
store
Store a given stash created via git stash create (which is a dangling
merge commit) in the stash ref, updating the stash reflog. This is
intended to be useful for scripts. It is probably not the command you
want to use; see "push" above.
export ( --print | --to-ref <ref> ) [<stash>...]
Export the specified stashes, or all of them if none are specified,
to a chain of commits which can be transferred using the normal fetch
and push mechanisms, then imported using the import subcommand.
import <commit>
Import the specified stashes from the specified commit, which must
have been created by export, and add them to the list of stashes. To
replace the existing stashes, use clear first.
OPTIONS
-a, --all
This option is only valid for push and save commands.
All ignored and untracked files are also stashed and then cleaned up
with git clean.
-u, --include-untracked, --no-include-untracked
When used with the push and save commands, all untracked files are
also stashed and then cleaned up with git clean.
When used with the show command, show the untracked files in the
stash entry as part of the diff.
--only-untracked
This option is only valid for the show command.
Show only the untracked files in the stash entry as part of the diff.
--index
This option is only valid for pop and apply commands.
Tries to reinstate not only the working tree's changes, but also the
index's ones. However, this can fail, when you have conflicts (which
are stored in the index, where you therefore can no longer apply the
changes as they were originally).
--label-ours=<label>, --label-theirs=<label>, --label-base=<label>
These options are only valid for the apply command.
Use the given labels in conflict markers instead of the default
"Updated upstream", "Stashed changes", and "Stash base".
--label-base only has an effect with merge.conflictStyle=diff3.
-k, --keep-index, --no-keep-index
This option is only valid for push and save commands.
All changes already added to the index are left intact.
-p, --patch
This option is only valid for push and save commands.
Interactively select hunks from the diff between HEAD and the working
tree to be stashed. The stash entry is constructed such that its
index state is the same as the index state of your repository, and
its worktree contains only the changes you selected interactively.
The selected changes are then rolled back from your worktree. See the
"Interactive Mode" section of git-add(1) to learn how to operate the
--patch mode.
The --patch option implies --keep-index. You can use --no-keep-index
to override this.
-U<n>, --unified=<n>
Generate diffs with <n> lines of context. The number of context lines
defaults to diff.context or 3 if the configuration variable is unset.
(-U without <n> is silently accepted as a synonym for -p due to a
historical accident).
--inter-hunk-context=<n>
Show the context between diff hunks, up to the specified <number> of
lines, thereby fusing hunks that are close to each other. Defaults to
diff.interHunkContext or 0 if the config option is unset.
-S, --staged
This option is only valid for push and save commands.
Stash only the changes that are currently staged. This is similar to
basic git commit except the state is committed to the stash instead
of current branch.
The --patch option has priority over this one.
--pathspec-from-file=<file>
This option is only valid for push command.
Pathspec is passed in <file> instead of commandline args. If <file>
is exactly - then standard input is used. Pathspec elements are
separated by LF or CR/LF. Pathspec elements can be quoted as
explained for the configuration variable core.quotePath (see git-
config(1)). See also --pathspec-file-nul and global
--literal-pathspecs.
--pathspec-file-nul
This option is only valid for push command.
Only meaningful with --pathspec-from-file. Pathspec elements are
separated with NUL character and all other characters are taken
literally (including newlines and quotes).
-q, --quiet
This option is only valid for apply, drop, pop, push, save, store
commands.
Quiet, suppress feedback messages.
--print
This option is only valid for the export command.
Create the chain of commits representing the exported stashes without
storing it anywhere in the ref namespace and print the object ID to
standard output. This is designed for scripts.
--to-ref
This option is only valid for the export command.
Create the chain of commits representing the exported stashes and
store it to the specified ref.
--
This option is only valid for push command.
Separates pathspec from options for disambiguation purposes.
<pathspec>...
This option is only valid for push command.
The new stash entry records the modified states only for the files
that match the pathspec. The index entries and working tree files are
then rolled back to the state in HEAD only for these files, too,
leaving files that do not match the pathspec intact.
For more details, see the pathspec entry in gitglossary(7).
<stash>
This option is only valid for apply, branch, drop, pop, show, and
export commands.
A reference of the form stash@{<revision>}. When no <stash> is given,
the latest stash is assumed (that is, stash@{0}).
DISCUSSION
A stash entry is represented as a commit whose tree records the state of
the working directory, and its first parent is the commit at HEAD when
the entry was created. The tree of the second parent records the state of
the index when the entry is made, and it is made a child of the HEAD
commit. The ancestry graph looks like this:
.----W
/ /
-----H----I
where H is the HEAD commit, I is a commit that records the state of the
index, and W is a commit that records the state of the working tree.
EXAMPLES
Pulling into a dirty tree
When you are in the middle of something, you learn that there are
upstream changes that are possibly relevant to what you are doing.
When your local changes do not conflict with the changes in the
upstream, a simple git pull will let you move forward.
However, there are cases in which your local changes do conflict with
the upstream changes, and git pull refuses to overwrite your changes.
In such a case, you can stash your changes away, perform a pull, and
then unstash, like this:
$ git pull
...
file foobar not up to date, cannot merge.
$ git stash
$ git pull
$ git stash pop
Interrupted workflow
When you are in the middle of something, your boss comes in and
demands that you fix something immediately. Traditionally, you would
make a commit to a temporary branch to store your changes away, and
return to your original branch to make the emergency fix, like this:
# ... hack hack hack ...
$ git switch -c my_wip
$ git commit -a -m "WIP"
$ git switch master
$ edit emergency fix
$ git commit -a -m "Fix in a hurry"
$ git switch my_wip
$ git reset --soft HEAD^
# ... continue hacking ...
You can use git stash to simplify the above, like this:
# ... hack hack hack ...
$ git stash
$ edit emergency fix
$ git commit -a -m "Fix in a hurry"
$ git stash pop
# ... continue hacking ...
Testing partial commits
You can use git stash push --keep-index when you want to make two or
more commits out of the changes in the work tree, and you want to
test each change before committing:
# ... hack hack hack ...
$ git add --patch foo # add just first part to the index
$ git stash push --keep-index # save all other changes to the stash
$ edit/build/test first part
$ git commit -m 'First part' # commit fully tested change
$ git stash pop # prepare to work on all other changes
# ... repeat above five steps until one commit remains ...
$ edit/build/test remaining parts
$ git commit foo -m 'Remaining parts'
Saving unrelated changes for future use
When you are in the middle of massive changes and you find some
unrelated issue that you don't want to forget to fix, you can do the
change(s), stage them, and use git stash push --staged to stash them
out for future use. This is similar to committing the staged changes,
only the commit ends-up being in the stash and not on the current
branch.
# ... hack hack hack ...
$ git add --patch foo # add unrelated changes to the index
$ git stash push --staged # save these changes to the stash
# ... hack hack hack, finish current changes ...
$ git commit -m 'Massive' # commit fully tested changes
$ git switch fixup-branch # switch to another branch
$ git stash pop # to finish work on the saved changes
Recovering stash entries that were cleared/dropped erroneously
If you mistakenly drop or clear stash entries, they cannot be
recovered through the normal safety mechanisms. However, you can try
the following incantation to get a list of stash entries that are
still in your repository, but not reachable any more:
git fsck --unreachable |
grep commit | cut -d\ -f3 |
xargs git log --merges --no-walk --grep=WIP
CONFIGURATION
Everything below this line in this section is selectively included from
the git-config(1) documentation. The content is the same as what's found
there:
stash.index
If this is set to true, git stash apply and git stash pop will behave
as if --index was supplied. Defaults to false.
stash.showIncludeUntracked
If this is set to true, the git stash show command will show the
untracked files of a stash entry. Defaults to false.
stash.showPatch
If this is set to true, the git stash show command without an option
will show the stash entry in patch form. Defaults to false.
stash.showStat
If this is set to true, the git stash show command without an option
will show a diffstat of the stash entry. Defaults to true.
EXIT STATUS
The git stash subcommands exit with status 0 on success. The subcommands
that apply a stash entry, i.e. apply, pop and branch, exit with status 1
when applying the stash entry resulted in conflicts, in which case the
stash entry is left in place, and with a non-zero status other than 1
when they fail for other reasons.
SEE ALSO
git-checkout(1), git-commit(1), git-reflog(1), git-reset(1), git-
switch(1)
GIT
Part of the git(1) suite
Git 2.56.0 2026-09-27 git-stash(1)
git 2.56.0 - Generated Thu Oct 1 18:16:24 CDT 2026