Cheat Sheets · Git Cheat Sheet · Git Unstage File — Remove from Staging Area

Git Unstage File — Remove from Staging Area

git restore --staged <file>

>= 2.23 (Modern)

git restore --staged .

>= 2.23 (Modern)

git reset HEAD <file>

< 2.23 (Legacy)

Unstaging commands

Command	Git Version	Effect
`git restore --staged <file>`	`>= 2.23 (Modern)`	`Unstage specific file; keep local changes intact`
`git restore --staged .`	`>= 2.23 (Modern)`	`Unstage all staged files at once`
`git reset HEAD <file>`	`< 2.23 (Legacy)`	`Classic command for unstaging; identical effect`

Accidentally ran git add on the wrong file? Unstaging removes the file from the index (staging area) while preserving all your edits in the working directory.

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 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 Show Commit — Inspect Changes in a Commit Tag a Release — Lightweight & Annotated Tags

FAQ

Will unstaging delete my edits?
No! Unstaging only removes the file from the upcoming commit. Your working tree edits remain 100% intact.

How do I discard the edits entirely?
Run git restore (without --staged) to revert working directory changes to HEAD.

What is the difference between git restore --staged and git rm --cached?
restore --staged keeps the file tracked in Git. rm --cached stages the file for complete removal from Git tracking.

Stop memorizing — build it interactively

Build staging workflows in the Git Builder

Full reference: Git Cheat Sheet