Weekly Git Command #3: git stash

There are times when you’re in the middle of some work, but you’re not ready to commit yet, and suddenly, you need to switch branches or pull in new changes.

Before learning this command, situations like that usually meant either committing half-done work or copying changes somewhere else manually.

That’s where git stash comes in.

What git stash does

git stash temporarily saves your uncommitted changes and gives you a clean working directory, so you can switch context without losing your work.

Think of it as putting your changes aside for later.

Basic usage

git stash

This:

• Saves your current changes

• Resets your working directory to the last commit

You can now safely switch branches or pull updates.

Viewing your stashes

git stash list

This shows all saved stashes, for example:

• stash@{0}: WIP on main: 1a2b3c4 fix validation bug

• stash@{1}: WIP on feature/auth: add login checks

Restoring your changes

To reapply the most recent stash and remove it from the stash list:

git stash pop

If you want to apply it without removing it:

git stash apply

When git stash is useful

I’ve found git stash helpful when:

• I need to quickly switch branches

• I’m not ready to commit unfinished work

• I want to pull or rebase without conflicts

• It helps keep my commit history clean while staying flexible.

A quick note

By default, git stash saves:

• Tracked files

• Modified files

Untracked files are not included unless explicitly specified.

Final thoughts

git stash is one of those commands that quietly becomes essential once you understand it. It’s simple, powerful, and solves a very common workflow problem.

This post is part of my Weekly Git Command series, where I share Git commands I’m learning while contributing to Git via Outreachy.

Next Step: taking stashing a step further with git stash -p - the interactive mode!