How do I restore deleted files in Git?

Find the commit that deleted them with git log --diff-filter=D --summary , then restore from the commit before it: git checkout COMMIT_ID~1 -- path/ (or git restore --source=COMMIT_ID~1 -- path/ on Git 2.23+), and commit. Git keeps every committed file in history, so nothing is truly lost.

How do I find which commit deleted a file in Git?

Run git log --diff-filter=D --summary . The --diff-filter=D flag shows only commits that deleted files, and --summary lists the deleted paths. Copy the commit hash for the next step.

How do I restore a deleted file from Git history?

Restore from the commit before the deletion: git checkout COMMIT_ID~1 -- path/to/file (classic) or git restore --source=COMMIT_ID~1 -- path/to/file on Git 2.23+. Pass a folder path to restore an entire directory.

What is the difference between COMMIT_ID~1 and COMMIT_ID^1 in Git?

~1 is the first ancestor one step back in history ( ~2 goes back two). ^1 is the first parent of a merge commit and ^2 the second. For a regular non-merge commit, ~1 and ^1 are equivalent.

Should I use git checkout or git restore to recover files?

Both work and leave the files staged. Since Git 2.23, git restore --source=COMMIT_ID~1 -- path is preferred because its intent is clearer; git checkout COMMIT_ID~1 -- path does the same job on older Git versions.

Introduction: Recovering Deleted Files in Git

It was late, the weather was foul, and my Wi-Fi decided to have an opinion. Something went wrong during a sync between two machines, and the next morning I discovered that an entire folder of images had quietly vanished from my Git repository. Not overwritten — deleted. Gone from the working tree and staged as deletions in the last commit.

If this has happened to you, take a breath. Git keeps the entire history of your project, including every file that was ever committed. Nothing is truly lost as long as the deletion was committed (and not just a git rm you haven’t committed yet — that is even easier to undo). Let me walk you through exactly what I did.

How to Restore Deleted Files in Git

Step 1 — Find the commit that deleted your files

Git’s --diff-filter option lets you filter the log to show only commits that match a specific kind of change. The flag D means “deleted”:

git log --diff-filter=D --summary

The --summary flag prints a brief list of files added, deleted, or renamed in each commit — which is exactly what we need. You will see output like this:

commit 45a2d299ef3d....
Author: Elena Daehnhardt <email@gmail.com>
Date:   Wed Nov 29 12:05:06 2023 +0100

    create_references

 delete mode 100644 images/ai_art/dalle/elena/dall.e.22.18.39.png
 delete mode 100644 images/ai_art/dalle/elena/dall.e.22.18.45.png
 delete mode 100644 images/ai_art/dalle/elena/dall.e.22.18.50.png

There it is. Copy the commit hash — you will need it in the next step.

Inspecting what changed at a commit

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Conclusion: Git History as a Time Machine

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References

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Restoring deleted files in Git

📚 This post is part of the "Git Survival Guide" series

Introduction: Recovering Deleted Files in Git

How to Restore Deleted Files in Git

Step 1 — Find the commit that deleted your files

Inspecting what changed at a commit

Conclusion: Git History as a Time Machine

References

References

Citation

Restoring deleted files in Git

📚 This post is part of the "Git Survival Guide" series

Introduction: Recovering Deleted Files in Git

How to Restore Deleted Files in Git

Step 1 — Find the commit that deleted your files

Inspecting what changed at a commit

Conclusion: Git History as a Time Machine

References

You're in

References

Citation