How do i get a deleted file back when using git repositories?

giraffelife

From time to time we all make mistakes like trashing a file we should have trashed. When tracking a file using git repositories, you can get it back.

Initial git status show everything is clean and good.

$ git status
On branch master
nothing to commit, working directory clean

Let's manually delete a file to simulate a mistake

$ rm README.md

Another status command, as git is tracking the file, you see it in status deleted.

$ git status
On branch master
Changes not staged for commit:
  (use "git add/rm <file>..." to update what will be committed)
  (use "git checkout -- <file>..." to discard changes in working directory)

	deleted:    README.md

no changes added to commit (use "git add" and/or "git commit -a")

Let's get it back from the master branch, the last know required commit.

$ git checkout master README.md

$ ls
README.md

$ git status
On branch master
nothing to commit, working directory clean

We have the file back. If you wanted the file deleted for real, you can got through the git add/git commit process to update the git repository.