Delete a file from a Git repository

Run git rm -- file and commit the deletion to remove a tracked file from the current version of a repository. To keep the file on your computer while removing it from the index, use git rm --cached instead.

Choose what to remove

# Delete the file and stage its removal.
git rm -- old-file.txt
git commit -m "Remove obsolete file"

For a local configuration file that should no longer be tracked:

git rm --cached -- config.local.js
# Add config.local.js to .gitignore, then stage that rule.
git add .gitignore
git commit -m "Stop tracking local configuration"

For a directory, use git rm -r --cached -- node_modules/. These cached removals preserve your working-tree copies. Once the deletion commit reaches teammates, their tracked copies can be removed when they update, so coordinate configuration migrations.

If you already deleted a file through an editor or file manager, stage the deletion explicitly:

git add -- old-file.txt
git commit -m "Remove obsolete file"

git add -A also records deletions, but includes other changes in its scope.

A deletion commit does not erase history

Older commits still contain the file. If it exposed a credential, revoke or rotate that credential first. Removing historical copies requires a separate, coordinated history rewrite. For example, in a fresh disposable clone, the separately installed git-filter-repo can remove a path:

git filter-repo --path secrets.env --invert-paths

Account for every historical path and affected branch or tag. Publishing rewritten history requires deliberate non-fast-forward updates and coordination with other clones; a bare git push --force is not a complete cleanup procedure. Forks, cached views, and downloaded copies may still exist. Follow your hosting provider's sensitive-data removal procedure.

FAQ

Why does git rm refuse a modified file?

The check protects uncommitted work. Inspect or save it first. git rm -f -- file overrides the check and discards the local file when that is intentional.

How do I undo an accidental deletion?

If you only deleted the working-tree file, use git restore -- file. If git rm staged the deletion, restore both locations from HEAD:

git restore --source=HEAD --staged --worktree -- old-file.txt

After a deletion has been committed, restore from a commit that still contains the file, then stage and commit it. HEAD~1 is suitable only when that specific parent has the version you need.

Can I delete a file on GitHub?

Yes. The file menu offers a deletion action, followed by a commit or pull-request workflow depending on permissions and branch rules.

See git-rm, git-restore, the git-filter-repo manual, and GitHub file deletion.