Cheat Sheets · Git Cheat Sheet · Git Show Commit — Inspect Changes in a Commit

Git Show Commit — Inspect Changes in a Commit

git show <sha>

Full commit metadata and unified diff of all changed files

git show --stat <sha>

Summary list of changed files with inserted/deleted line counts

git show <sha>:<file-path>

View the entire file content as it existed at that commit

git show <sha> -- <file-path>

Show diff only for that specific file in the commit

Git show patterns

CommandWhat it displays
git show <sha>Full commit metadata and unified diff of all changed files
git show --stat <sha>Summary list of changed files with inserted/deleted line counts
git show <sha>:<file-path>View the entire file content as it existed at that commit
git show <sha> -- <file-path>Show diff only for that specific file in the commit

git show displays the author, date, commit message, and full patch diff for any commit hash, tag, or branch head.

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 Clean Untracked Files — Remove Clutter Safely 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 Tag a Release — Lightweight & Annotated Tags

FAQ

How do I view the diff of the latest commit?
Run git show HEAD (or just git show).

How to view the parent of a commit?
Use git show ^.

Can I see just the commit message without the diff?
Yes: git show -s (--no-patch).

Stop memorizing — build it interactively

Try git show in the Git Builder

Full reference: Git Cheat Sheet