How to remove untracked files in git?

In Git, untracked files are files that are not currently under version control. These files have not been added to the Git index (staging area) and are not being tracked by Git. If you want to remove these untracked files, you can do so using the git clean command.

Steps to Remove Untracked Files

1. Preview Untracked Files

Before removing untracked files, it's a good idea to see which files would be affected. You can use the -n or --dry-run option with git clean to preview the files that will be removed without actually deleting them:

git clean -n

Output:

Would remove untracked_file1.txt
Would remove untracked_file2.log

2. Remove Untracked Files

To actually remove the untracked files, use the -f (force) option with git clean. Be careful with this command, as it will permanently delete the untracked files:

git clean -f

Output:

Removing untracked_file1.txt
Removing untracked_file2.log

3. Remove Untracked Directories

If you also want to remove untracked directories, you can use the -d option along with -f:

git clean -fd

Output:

Removing untracked_directory/
Removing another_untracked_directory/

4. Remove Ignored Files

If you have files that are ignored by your .gitignore file and you want to remove them as well, use the -x option. This option removes all untracked files, including those listed in .gitignore:

git clean -f -x

Output:

Removing .DS_Store
Removing build/
Removing temp/

Alternatively, if you want to remove only the ignored files and leave the untracked but not ignored files intact, use the -X option:

git clean -f -X

Output:

Removing .DS_Store
Removing build/

Summary of Options

• -n or --dry-run: Preview the files that will be removed.
• -f or --force: Actually remove the files.
• -d: Remove untracked directories in addition to untracked files.
• -x: Remove all untracked files, including those listed in .gitignore.
• -X: Remove only ignored files.

Example Workflow

1. Preview untracked files and directories:

   git clean -nd

2. Remove untracked files and directories after confirmation:

   git clean -fd

3. Remove all untracked files, including ignored files:

   git clean -f -x

4. Remove only ignored files:

   git clean -f -X

Conclusion

Using the git clean command is a powerful way to manage and remove untracked files in your Git repository. Always use the -n or --dry-run option first to preview the files that will be affected to avoid accidentally deleting important files. Once you are sure, you can proceed with the actual clean-up using the appropriate options based on your needs.