Unstage a file in Git

How do I unstage a file in Git?

You ran git add on something, then realised it doesn't belong in this commit yet. Maybe git add . swept up one file that should wait. You want it out of the staging area but your edits kept. To unstage a file in Git is exactly that: it moves the file back to "modified but not staged", and your changes stay untouched.

Remember the three areas from the three areas: working directory, staging area, repository. Unstaging just moves a file from the staging area back to the working directory. Nothing is deleted.

Unstage a file with git restore --staged

The modern command is git restore --staged:

git restore --staged config.php

This removes config.php from the staging area. Your edits to the file are still there - run git status and you'll see it listed under "Changes not staged for commit" again.

To unstage everything at once:

git restore --staged .

One case surprises people: unstage a brand-new file you just added for the first time, and it goes back to being untracked, not modified - the file and its contents are untouched, Git simply forgets you'd added it. Nothing is lost either way.

Git itself hints at this. After you stage a file, git status prints:

Changes to be committed:
  (use "git restore --staged <file>..." to unstage)
        modified:   config.php

The older command: git reset HEAD

Before git restore existed, people used git reset to unstage:

git reset HEAD config.php

Or, since HEAD is the default, simply:

git reset config.php

You'll still see this in older tutorials and answers online, and it does the same job for unstaging. It's safe - this plain form of git reset only touches the staging area, not your files. Modern Git recommends git restore --staged because its name says what it does, so prefer that one going forward.

Common mistake

Don't confuse unstaging with discarding. git restore --staged file keeps your changes and only unstages them. git restore file (without --staged) throws your changes away for good. It's an easy slip because the two commands look almost identical - the --staged flag is the whole difference. Discarding is covered next in discarding changes.

FAQ

How do I unstage a file in Git?

Run git restore --staged <file>. It removes the file from the staging area while keeping all your edits. To unstage everything, use git restore --staged ..

Does unstaging a file delete my changes?

No. Unstaging only moves the file out of the staging area. Your edits remain in the working directory - you can re-stage or keep editing.

What's the difference between git restore --staged and git reset?

For unstaging they do the same thing. git reset HEAD <file> is the older way; git restore --staged <file> is the modern, clearer command. Prefer git restore --staged.