# Weekly Git Command #4: git stash -p

In last week’s post, I wrote about `git stash` and how it helps temporarily save your work when you’re not ready to commit.

But very quickly, I ran into a limitation.

Sometimes, I don’t want to stash everything.

I only want to stash some of my changes.

That’s where `git stash -p` comes in.

### What git stash -p does

`git stash -p` (patch mode) lets you interactively choose which changes to stash, instead of stashing all your modified files at once.

Git shows you your changes in small chunks (called hunks) and asks what you want to do with each one.

### Basic usage

```bash
git stash -p
```

After running this, Git will display a portion of your changes and prompt you with something like:

```plaintext
Stash this hunk [y,n,q,a,d,s,e,?]?
```

The most common options are:

* y → stash this change
    
* n → don’t stash this change
    
* q → quit and stash whatever you’ve already selected
    

You don’t need to memorize everything; y, n, and q are usually enough to get started.

### Why this is useful

I’ve found `git stash -p` especially helpful when:

* I have unrelated changes in the same file
    
* I want to switch branches but keep some work visible
    
* I don’t want to commit or stash everything blindly
    

Instead of undoing changes or making temporary commits, I can be precise about what I set aside.

### git stash vs git stash -p

* `git stash` Stashes **all** current changes why
    
* `git stash -p` Stashes **selected** changes
    

Once you get comfortable with patch mode, it’s hard to go back.

### A small tip

You can also add a message to your stash:

```bash
git stash push -p -m "partial refactor"
```

This makes it much easier to identify later when running:

```bash
git stash list
```

## Final thoughts

`git stash -p` is one of those commands that quietly improves your workflow once you learn it. It gives you control, flexibility, and helps you keep your commits clean.

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