How Do I Remove a Single File From the Staging Area (Undo Git Add)?

If you've added a file to the staging area with git add but want to remove it from the staging area without affecting your working directory (i.e., undo the git add), you can use the git reset command. Here’s how to do it:

Removing a Single File from the Staging Area

Using git reset for a Specific File

To unstage a single file:

git reset <file>

For example, if you added example.txt to the staging area and want to unstage it:

git reset example.txt

This command will remove example.txt from the staging area, but it will not delete or modify the file in your working directory. The changes you made to example.txt will still be present, but it will no longer be included in the next commit.

Verifying the Change

To confirm that the file has been removed from the staging area:

1. Check the Status: Use git status to see the current state of the working directory and the staging area.

    

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   git status
   

   The file example.txt should now appear under "Changes not staged for commit" instead of "Changes to be committed".

2. Check the Staging Area: To further verify, you can use git diff --cached to show the differences between the staged changes and the last commit. The file should no longer appear in this output.

    

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   git diff --cached
   

Example Scenario

1. Add a File to Staging Area:

    

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   git add example.txt
   

2. Unstage the File:

    

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   git reset example.txt
   

3. Verify:

    

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   git status
   

   The file example.txt should now be listed under "Changes not staged for commit".

Summary

To remove a single file from the staging area without affecting the working directory:

• Use git reset <file> to unstage the file.

This approach allows you to selectively manage which changes are staged for the next commit and helps keep your commit history clean and precise.

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