Here’s a clear, practical guide to git stash — what it is, when to use it, and the most useful commands and patterns.
Table of Contents
What is git stash?
git stash lets you temporarily shelve (or stash) changes you’ve made to your working copy so you can work on something else, and then come back and re-apply them later on. Stashing is handy if you need to quickly switch context and work on something else, but you’re mid-way through a code change and aren’t quite ready to commit.
The screenshot below shows the single stash in SourceTree app. On the sidebar, you can select any stash in the STASHES section and it is displayed on the right. In this post, we primarily work on the commands using with Terminal instead.
Use it when you:
- Need to quickly switch branches but have local changes you’re not ready to commit.
- Want to pull/rebase but your working tree isn’t clean.
- Want to save a WIP (work-in-progress) snapshot without cluttering history.
The basics
Stash your changes
git stash # Stashes tracked changes and resets working tree git stash -m "WIP: fix search bug" # Add a message for easier recall
Include untracked/ignored files
git stash -u # Include untracked files git stash -a # Include untracked + ignored files
List your stashes
git stash list
# stash@{0}: On feature/login: WIP: fix token refresh
See what’s inside a stash
git stash show # Summary of changes in the latest stash
git stash show -p # Full patch (diff)
git show stash@{2} # Show a specific stash
Restore your changes
git stash apply # Apply latest stash (keep it in stash list)
git stash apply stash@{2} # Apply a specific stash
Apply and remove in a once go
git stash pop # Apply latest stash and drop it if successful
git stash pop stash@{1}
Delete a stash and all stashes
git stash drop stash@{2}
git stash clear # ⚠️ Deletes all stashes
Helpful options & patterns
Keep staged, stash only unstaged
You might want to keep your staged changes (index) and only stash the rest:
git stash -k # --keep-index
Stash only staged changes
If you want to stash only what is staged:
git stash --staged
It’s handy when you’ve prepared a partial commit, but need to put it aside temporarily.
Interactively select changes to stash
git stash -p # --patch: choose hunks to stash
Stash by path (specific files/folders)
git stash -- path/to/fileA src/utils/
Only changes under those paths are stashed.
Create a branch from a stash
If you stashed work that really belongs on a new branch:
git stash branch my-feature stash@{0}
This:
- Creates and checks out
my-featurefrom the stash’s base commit, - Applies the stash,
- Drops it on success.
Practical workflows
1) Quick context switch
git stash -m "WIP: tweak search params" # save work git checkout main # switch safely # ...do what you need... git checkout feature/search git stash pop # resume
2) Pull with a dirty working tree
git stash git pull --rebase git stash pop # resolve conflicts if needed, then continue
3) Partial stashing (keep staged as-is)
git add -p # stage only what you want git stash -k # stash the rest (keeps index) # Now you can commit the staged bits cleanly, later apply the stashed leftovers
4) Move work to a branch cleanly
git stash -m "WIP: refactor helpers" git checkout -b refactor/helpers git stash pop
Common pitfalls & tips
- Untracked files aren’t stashed by default. Use
-uor-awhen needed. - Conflicts can happen when applying or popping a stash, especially if the base moved. Resolve conflicts and continue, or consider
git stash branchto recreate the original context. - Don’t rely on stash as long-term storage. It’s local-only and not part of your repo’s history. For shared WIP, consider a draft/WIP commit on a temporary branch.
- Name your stashes.
-m "WIP: …"makesgit stash listmuch easier to navigate. - Stash is a stack. New stashes are
stash@{0}, older ones shift to{1},{2}, etc. - Internals: A stash is basically a couple of commits (for the index and working tree) referenced under
refs/stash. Advanced users can inspect withgit fsckorgit log refs/stash.
Quick reference (cheat sheet)
# Create
git stash
git stash -u | -a
git stash -m "message"
git stash -p
git stash -- path1 path2
# Apply / Pop
git stash apply [stash@{n}]
git stash pop [stash@{n}]
# Inspect
git stash list
git stash show [-p] [stash@{n}]
git show stash@{n}
# Manage
git stash drop [stash@{n}]
git stash clear
# Index/Selection
git stash -k # keep index (stash only unstaged)
git stash --staged # stash only staged
git stash branch [stash@{n}]
References
[1] https://git-scm.com/docs/git-stash, accessed on 26th December, 2025
[2] https://www.git-tower.com/learn/git/faq/git-stash-list, 26th December, 2025
[3] https://www.theserverside.com/blog/Coffee-Talk-Java-News-Stories-and-Opinions/How-to-list-and-show-the-git-stash-history, accessed on 26th November, 2025
