Discard Git Repo Changes via Terminal

To safely discard untracked files from your Git repository using Terminal, start with a dry run to preview deletions:

git clean -n  # Preview files to be removed

Execute the commands if you’re certain:

git clean -f   # Remove untracked files only
git clean -fd  # Remove untracked files and directories
git clean -i   # Interactive mode for selective removal

To revert changes and restore your files to their last committed state:

git checkout -- .       # Discard unstaged changes only
git reset --hard HEAD   # Reset all staged and unstaged changes
git restore .           # Modern alternative (Git 2.23+)
git reset HEAD          # Unstage changes without losing edits

Always verify the repository status before making destructive changes:

git status              # Review current repository state

These commands can permanently delete data, so test carefully or use git stash if you might need to recover changes.

Efficiently maintain your repositories with these essential Git commands!