git restore

git restore reverts file changes in a Git repository. Use it deliberately: restoring a file can discard work that has not been committed.

What you will learn

How to discard working-tree changes in one file
How to unstage a file without discarding its edits
How to restore a file from a chosen commit

Common commands

# Discard unstaged changes in one file
git restore index.html

# Unstage a file but keep its edits
git restore --staged index.html

# Restore from a specific commit
git restore --source=HEAD~1 -- report.txt

The default target is the working tree. With --staged, Git changes the index instead and leaves the working-tree edits in place.

Common mistakes

Run git status and review a diff before restoring.
Do not use a broad path such as . unless you intend to affect every matching file.
If you need a recoverable history change, consider a new commit or branch instead of deleting uncommitted work.