Cheat Sheets · Git Cheat Sheet · Git Clean Untracked Files — Remove Clutter Safely

Git Clean Untracked Files — Remove Clutter Safely

git clean -n

Safe (Dry run)

git clean -fd

Destructive

git clean -fdx

Very Destructive

Git clean commands

Command	Safety	Effect
`git clean -n`	`Safe (Dry run)`	`List files that would be removed without deleting anything`
`git clean -fd`	`Destructive`	`Force delete untracked files and directories`
`git clean -fdx`	`Very Destructive`	`Also delete ignored files (e.g. node_modules, .env, build/)`

Clean up build artifacts, temp files, and untracked junk from your working tree. Always start with a dry run to avoid deleting wanted files.

Related Git recipes

Undo Last Commit — 3 Safe Ways Discard Local Changes — Safely and Completely Delete a Branch — Local and Remote Stash — Park Changes Without Committing Amend the Last Commit Undo a Pushed Commit — The Safe Way (git revert) Rename Local Branch — Safely & Quickly Rename Remote Branch — Complete 3-Step Process Cherry Pick — Apply a Specific Commit Elsewhere Squash Last N Commits — Combine Multiple Commits Sync Fork with Upstream — Step-by-Step Delete Remote Tag — Local and Remote Change Commit Author — Email & Name Unstage File — Remove from Staging Area Log Graph — Visual Commit History in Terminal Switch Branch — Modern Branch Navigation Create Branch from Commit — Branch Off History Stash Untracked Files (-u and -a Flags) Force Pull — Overwrite Local Changes with Remote Resolve Merge Conflict — Complete Workflow Show Commit — Inspect Changes in a Commit Tag a Release — Lightweight & Annotated Tags

FAQ

Can I recover files deleted by git clean?
No! Because untracked files were never committed to Git, Git has no copy in its object database. Always dry-run with -n first.

What does the -d flag mean?
It instructs clean to remove untracked whole directories in addition to individual files.

How to clean only a specific subdirectory?
Pass the path: git clean -fd ./dist.

Stop memorizing — build it interactively

Try clean commands in the Git Builder

Full reference: Git Cheat Sheet