Git Commands Cheat Sheet

The everyday Git commands you actually use.

The Git commands that come up every day, grouped by task. Keep it handy until they're muscle memory.

Setup & config

Command	What it does
git init	Start a new repository in the current folder
git clone <url>	Copy a remote repository locally
git config --global user.name "..."	Set your commit author name

Command	What it does
git status	Show changed, staged and untracked files
git add <file>	Stage a file (use . for everything)
git commit -m "msg"	Commit the staged changes
git diff	Show unstaged changes
git log --oneline	Compact commit history

Command	What it does
git branch	List branches
git switch -c <name>	Create and switch to a new branch
git switch <name>	Switch to an existing branch
git merge <name>	Merge a branch into the current one

Command	What it does
git restore <file>	Discard unstaged changes to a file
git restore --staged <file>	Unstage a file (keep the changes)
git commit --amend	Edit the last commit
git reset --hard <commit>	Reset everything to a commit (destructive)
git revert <commit>	Make a new commit that undoes another

Command	What it does
git remote -v	Show configured remotes
git fetch	Download remote changes without merging
git pull	Fetch and merge remote changes
git push	Upload your commits to the remote

git fetch downloads remote changes but leaves your working branch alone; git pull fetches and then merges them into your branch.

Run git reset --soft HEAD~1 — it moves HEAD back one commit and leaves your changes staged.

Last reviewed 2026-08-20.

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