What Does Git Stash Do? Save and Restore Changes

Ever been deep in code changes when an urgent bug needs immediate attention? Git stash is your coding lifeline.

What does Git stash do? At its core, this powerful Git command temporarily shelves your uncommitted changes, giving you a clean working directory without losing your progress. Think of it as a digital clipboard for your code—a safe place to store modifications while you handle something else.

Developers constantly switch between tasks. You might be updating a feature when a critical production issue demands immediate attention. Without proper tools for managing these interruptions, context switching becomes painful and error-prone. Git stash solves this common workflow challenge.

In this comprehensive guide, you’ll learn:

  • How Git stash works behind the scenes in your repository
  • Essential stash commands for daily development
  • Advanced techniques for working with multiple stashes
  • Practical workflows that transform how you handle interruptions
  • Best practices that prevent common stash-related mistakes
  • Tools and integrations that enhance the stash experience

Whether you’re a Git novice seeking to understand version control basics or an experienced developer wanting to optimize your workflow, mastering Git stash will significantly improve your productivity. Let’s explore how this seemingly simple command can transform your development process.

What Does Git Stash Do?

git stash temporarily saves changes that are not yet committed, allowing you to switch branches or work on something else without losing progress. It stores modifications in a stack and restores a clean working directory. You can later reapply (git stash pop) or view (git stash list) the stashed changes.

Git Stash Fundamentals

maxresdefault What Does Git Stash Do? Save and Restore Changes

Git stash serves as temporary storage for your uncommitted changes. Developers working with version control systems frequently need to switch contexts without committing half-done work. Stash solves this elegantly.

How Git Stash Works Behind the Scenes

Inside the Git repository management system, stashed changes live in a special area of the Git object database. Unlike regular commits that attach to branches, stashed changes exist in a separate reference list.

The stash operates as a stack structure. Each new stash gets placed on top, creating a sequential record of saved states. This design brilliantly supports context switching between tasks that occur in busy software development environments.

Your stashed content isn’t visible in normal Git workflow operations. It exists as a hidden commit with a reference stored in .git/refs/stash. This reference points to a commit that records:

  • Your working directory state
  • The index (staged) state
  • A parent reference to your current HEAD

This flexible structure allows Git to perfectly restore your local modifications when needed.

Basic Stash Commands

Creating a basic stash with git stash

git stash

This command performs workspace cleanup by taking all modified tracked files and saving uncommitted changes. Your working directory instantly reverts to match HEAD. I use this daily when I need to quickly switch tasks.

Need to include new files too? Use git stash -u to include untracked files in your stash.

Listing stashes with git stash list

git stash list

This command displays your complete stash stack. The output shows each stash with an identifier like stash@{0}, the branch where you created it, and either the default message or your custom description.

Stashes appear newest-to-oldest, with stash@{0} being your most recent stash.

Viewing stash contents with git stash show

git stash show
git stash show -p stash@{1}

Want to check what’s in a stash? The first command shows a summary of changed files. Add -p for a detailed diff view. Specific stashes can be referenced by their index.

This Git command line operation helps you verify content before reapplying changes—crucial for maintaining clean code management.

Applying stashed changes with git stash apply and git stash pop

git stash apply
git stash pop

These commands reintroduce your stashed changes to your working directory. The difference? apply preserves the stash for future use, while pop removes it from the stack after application.

You might encounter merge conflicts if current work overlaps with stashed changes. Resolve these just like any other Git conflict.

Both commands accept a stash reference argument:

git stash pop stash@{2}

Removing stashes with git stash drop and git stash clear

git stash drop stash@{1}
git stash clear

Housekeeping matters. Use drop to remove specific stashes or clear to wipe the entire stack. Be careful—these actions can’t be undone!

Advanced Git Stash Techniques

Moving beyond basics unlocks powerful Git workflow capabilities that many software engineering teams rely on daily.

Working with Multiple Stashes

Multiple stashes organize different work contexts efficiently. Most developers who use platforms like GitHub or GitLab find this invaluable.

Creating named stashes with git stash save “message”

git stash save "Login feature styles"

Descriptive messages transform anonymous stashes into a readable history. While git stash works quickly, named stashes create a navigable record that helps during complex development processes.

For modern Git versions, you can also use:

git stash push -m "Login feature styles"

Working with the stash stack

Understanding stack position helps manage multiple stashes. Stack entries are numbered from 0 (newest) increasing with age. This structure supports complex Git workflow interruptions that occur in busy teams.

Most IDE integrations for Git show this stack visually, making management easier.

Applying specific stashes with index references

git stash apply stash@{2}

Need that brilliant solution you stashed yesterday? Reference it directly with its index. This lets you cherry-pick specific stashed work while preserving other contexts.

Creating branch-specific stashes

git stash branch feature-login stash@{1}

This powerful command creates a new branch starting from the commit you were on when stashing, then applies the stash content. It’s perfect for isolating experimental work that deserves its own feature branch.

Partial Stashing

Sometimes you need granular control over what gets stashed. These techniques are essential for managing complex changes.

Stashing specific files

git stash push path/to/file1 path/to/file2

This focused approach keeps your stash limited to specific files. It’s helpful when working on multiple unrelated changes in your working directory.

Interactive stashing with git stash -p

git stash -p

The interactive mode brings precision to stashing. Git presents each change “hunk” and lets you decide whether to stash it. This Git best practice helps maintain clean, focused stashes that address single concerns.

When working through pull requests or preparing for code repository submissions, this granularity proves invaluable.

Including untracked files with git stash -u

git stash -u

By default, stash ignores untracked files. This flag includes them, capturing newly added files in your stash. For complete code preservation, this option ensures nothing gets left behind.

Including ignored files with git stash -a

git stash -a

Need absolutely everything saved? This flag includes both untracked and ignored files in your stash. It’s rarely needed but valuable for complete state preservation.

Stash Shortcuts and Aliases

Regular stash users often create shortcuts for efficiency. Stack Overflow discussions frequently mention these time-savers.

Setting up helpful Git aliases for stash commands

In your .gitconfig:

[alias]
    st = stash
    stp = stash pop
    stl = stash list
    sts = stash show -p

These aliases reduce keystrokes for common operations. Many Git GUI clients include similar shortcuts.

Time-saving stash workflows

Combine stash operations into single commands:

# Stash, pull, pop in one command
git stash && git pull && git stash pop

This pattern helps when updating local work with remote changes—a common requirement in continuous integration environments.

Combining stash with other Git commands

# Create a new branch from stash
git stash branch new-feature stash@{0}

# Apply stash and immediately drop it if successful
git stash pop

These combinations streamline common patterns in software versioning workflows.

The true power of Git stash emerges when you integrate it deeply into your development habits. It transforms from a simple storage mechanism into an essential part of your code management toolkit, letting you navigate the complexities of parallel development work with confidence.

Practical Git Stash Workflows

Understanding how to integrate Git stash functionality into everyday development makes all the difference. Let’s explore practical scenarios.

Context Switching Between Tasks

Modern software development rarely follows a linear path. Interruptions happen constantly.

Stashing current work before changing tasks

Picture this: you’re deep into coding a complex feature when your manager messages you about an urgent bug. This is where Git temporary storage shines:

git stash save "Feature X in progress"
git checkout bugfix-branch

Your work vanishes into safe storage. Your working directory becomes clean instantly. Context: switched.

Organizing multiple task contexts with stashes

When juggling multiple responsibilities, named stashes create an organized system:

git stash save "Authentication refactoring"
git stash save "Performance optimization"
git stash save "UI fixes"

Each stash represents a complete context that you can return to. This approach transforms interrupted workflow situations from frustrating to manageable.

Restoring task context effectively

When returning to a task, restore not just the code but the mental context:

git stash list
git stash apply stash@{2}
git stash show -p stash@{2}  # Review what you were doing

This workflow helps you quickly recover your previous thought process, especially valuable after meetings or lunch breaks.

Collaboration Workflows with Stash

Team-based development brings unique challenges that Git stash can address.

Using stash when pulling changes from teammates

The classic problem: you have local changes but need to pull updates from the remote code repository:

git stash
git pull
git stash pop

This workflow prevents the dreaded “Your local changes would be overwritten” error. For software teams using platforms like GitHub or GitLab, this pattern becomes second nature.

Resolving merge conflicts with stash

When merge conflicts occur during stash application, Git doesn’t abandon you:

git stash pop
# Conflict appears
# Manually resolve conflicts
git add resolved-file.js
git commit -m "Merge stashed changes with latest updates"

The stash remains in your stack until you manually delete it after resolution, providing a safety net for complex merges.

Sharing stashes between repositories

While stashes are normally local, you can export them:

git stash create > ~/my-stash.patch
# In another repository
git stash apply $(git stash create < ~/my-stash.patch)

This technique, though advanced, helps share work-in-progress across different development tools or environments.

Emergency Hotfix Workflow

Production issues demand immediate attention without losing current work.

Stashing current feature work

When production breaks, first secure your current progress:

git stash save "Feature work pre-hotfix"

This preserves your entire code management context with one command.

Creating and fixing the hotfix branch

With a clean working directory, address the emergency:

git checkout main
git pull
git checkout -b hotfix-critical-bug
# Fix the issue
git commit -m "Fix critical production bug"
git push -u origin hotfix-critical-bug

This focused approach keeps hotfix changes isolated, making pull request reviews cleaner.

Returning to the feature and restoring the stash

After the crisis passes, resume your previous work:

git checkout feature-branch
git stash pop

Your Git workflow interruptions have minimal impact on productivity. The emergency is handled, and your feature work continues right where you left off.

Git Stash Best Practices

To master stash, adopt these proven patterns from software engineering experts.

Stash Management Guidelines

Like any powerful tool, stash requires discipline to use effectively.

Keeping the stash stack clean

Don’t let your stash become a graveyard of forgotten changes:

git stash list
git stash drop stash@{3}

Regularly review and clean your stash list. A good rule: if a stash is older than a week, either apply it or drop it. Long-term stashes suggest poor Git branching strategy.

Adding clear descriptions to stashes

Future you will thank present you for descriptive stash messages:

git stash save "Login form validation with error handling"

Detailed descriptions transform your stash list from cryptic references to a readable task list. Popular Git GUI clients and IDE integration tools make this even easier with visual interfaces.

When to use stash vs. branches

Stash is for temporary storage; branches are for persistent work:

  • Use stash for quick context switches (minutes to hours)
  • Use branches for longer-term work (hours to days)

According to most Git tutorials and Git best practices, work that takes more than a day should live in a branch, not a stash.

Setting time limits for stash retention

Implement a personal policy for stash cleanup:

# Add to your weekly routine
git stash list
# Drop stashes older than 7 days

Some teams even use Git hooks to automatically warn about stale stashes during commits.

Common Stash Mistakes and Solutions

Even experienced developers encounter these issues with Git stash functionality.

Losing stashed changes

The most common fear: where did my stash go? If you accidentally dropped a stash, you might still recover it:

git fsck --unreachable | grep commit | cut -d ' ' -f3 | xargs git show

This command might reveal your lost stash commits. For critical recoveries, tools like Git reflog can be lifesavers.

Stash conflicts and how to resolve them

When applying a stash creates conflicts:

  1. Don’t panic
  2. Resolve each conflict manually
  3. Mark as resolved with git add
  4. Continue with your work

The stash remains in your list until you explicitly drop it, giving you time to ensure everything applied correctly.

Accidentally applying stashes to the wrong branch

Applied a stash to the wrong branch? Here’s the recovery plan:

git stash
git checkout correct-branch
git stash pop stash@{1}  # The original stash is now at position 1

This workflow salvages your work without complex maneuvers.

Handling merge conflicts during stash application

For complex conflicts during git stash pop:

# If conflicts occur
git reset  # Unstage any partial changes
git stash drop  # Only if you're absolutely done with the stash

In difficult cases, consider applying the stash to a new branch to isolate the conflict resolution:

git stash branch new-resolution-branch stash@{0}

This creates a new branch, applies the stash, and drops it in one operation.

By integrating these workflows and best practices into your daily development process, you’ll transform from a casual Git user into someone who leverages the full power of version control. Your productivity will increase, your stress will decrease, and your colleagues will notice your newfound Git expertise.

Git Stash Tools and Integrations

Modern development environments offer numerous ways to interact with Git stash functionality beyond the command line interface. These tools transform how you handle saving uncommitted changes and managing your Git workflow.

Git Stash in GUI Clients

Visual tools make stash operations more accessible for developers who prefer graphical interfaces over Git command line.

Git GUI clients like GitKrakenSourcetree, and GitHub Desktop offer visual ways to create and manage stashes:

  • GitKraken places stash controls in the left sidebar with drag-and-drop stash application
  • Sourcetree provides right-click stash operations directly from the file list
  • GitHub Desktop includes stash options in its branch menu

These interfaces make the stash workflow more intuitive. Simply select files, click “Stash Changes”, and add a description. Your working directory becomes clean instantly.

Many clients also display a visual stash stack, making it easier to manage multiple stashed changes compared to the text-only listing in the terminal.

Visual stash management tools

Beyond basic stashing, GUI clients excel at stash management:

  • Filtering stashes by branch, message, or date
  • Tagging stashes with color-coding or labels
  • Searching stash contents to find specific code

These features help organize your shelved changes effectively when context switching between multiple tasks.

GitLens for VS Code offers a stash explorer that lets you browse stashed files as if they were regular repositories – a massive upgrade from terminal-based browsing.

Comparing stashed changes visually

Diff visualization is where GUI tools truly outshine the terminal:

# Command line requires multiple steps
git stash show -p stash@{1} > stash-diff.patch
git difftool stash-diff.patch

In contrast, GitKraken or Sourcetree show these diffs with a single click, using color-coded side-by-side comparisons that highlight:

  • Added lines
  • Modified content
  • Removed code
  • Moved blocks

This visual clarity makes it easier to review stashed work before applying it – essential for complex code management in busy software development environments.

IDE Integrations for Git Stash

Modern integrated development environments build Git stash directly into your coding workspace.

Using stash in VS Code

maxresdefault What Does Git Stash Do? Save and Restore Changes

VS Code offers Git stash integration through both built-in features and extensions:

  • The Source Control panel includes stash operations
  • GitLens extension adds enhanced stash visualization
  • Keyboard shortcuts for common stash operations

Right-clicking the Source Control panel reveals options to stash all changes or selected files. This tight integration keeps you in the coding environment during context switching.

Git Graph extension visualizes your stash history alongside branches, showing exactly where each stash was created in your project timeline.

Using stash in JetBrains IDEs

maxresdefault What Does Git Stash Do? Save and Restore Changes

IntelliJ IDEAPyCharmWebStorm and other JetBrains products include robust Git stash support:

  • Stash operations in the Git menu
  • Partial stashing through the “Shelf” feature
  • Keyboard shortcuts and context menu options

JetBrains’ unique “Shelf” concept extends Git stash with IDE-specific features:

# Similar to git stash -p but with visual selection
Shelf > Shelf Changes > Select files/changes

Their implementation remembers open files and editor positions when stashing, restoring your complete workspace state when you unshelve changes – perfect for managing interrupted workflow scenarios.

Other environments with notable stash integrations include:

  • Eclipse with EGit plugin
  • Atom with git-plus package
  • Sublime Text with GitSavvy

Each offers slightly different approaches to stash management. For instance, Eclipse groups stash operations under team synchronization, while Atom places them in the Git command palette.

Mobile Git command line tools like Working Copy (iOS) and MGit (Android) bring stash capabilities to portable devices, enabling emergency fixes from anywhere.

Terminal Enhancements for Git Stash

For command line devotees, several tools enhance the terminal stash experience.

Improved stash visibility with git-extras

The git-extras package adds helpful commands:

# Show all stashes with dates and branches
git stash-list

# Show diff stats for all stashes
git stash-stats

These extensions make the stash stack more navigable when working in terminal-only environments like remote SSH sessions.

Interactive stash management with forgit

The forgit tool transforms stash operations with interactive fuzzy finding:

# Interactive stash application
forgit stash apply

# Interactive stash viewing
forgit stash show

These commands display each stash with preview windows, letting you visually browse and select stashes without memorizing index numbers.

Terminal UIs for stash operations

Text-based UIs like lazygit provide terminal users with visual stash management:

  • Arrow key navigation through stash list
  • One-key commands for common operations
  • Split-screen diff views in the terminal

These tools bridge the gap between GUI clients and pure command line, offering visual benefits without leaving the terminal – ideal for remote server work or SSH sessions.

Scripting and Automation with Git Stash

Advanced users often build custom tools around Git stash for specialized workflows.

Pre-commit hooks with automatic stashing

Git hooks can automatically stash unrelated changes during commits:

# .git/hooks/pre-commit
#!/bin/bash

# Get modified files not included in this commit
UNSTAGED=$(git diff --name-only)

if [ ! -z "$UNSTAGED" ]; then
  git stash push -m "Auto-stashed during commit" -- $UNSTAGED
  STASHED=1
fi

# Hook continues with commit

This pattern helps maintain clean, focused commits while preserving other local modifications.

Scheduled stash backups

For critical projects, backup scripts can export stashes:

# Daily stash backup
git stash list --format="%gd" | while read stash; do
  git stash show -p $stash > backups/stash-$(date +%Y%m%d)-$stash.patch
done

These backups provide additional safety beyond Git’s internal references, especially valuable in large open source projects.

Cross-repository stash sharing tools

Custom tools can facilitate stash sharing between repositories:

# Export all stashes as patches
function export-stashes() {
  mkdir -p $1
  git stash list --format="%gd" | while read stash; do
    git stash show -p $stash > $1/$stash.patch
  done
}

# Import stashes from patches
function import-stashes() {
  for patch in $1/*.patch; do
    git apply $patch && git stash save "Imported: $(basename $patch)"
  done
}

These functions help transport work contexts between work and personal repositories – useful for software teams with complex source code management requirements.

By leveraging these tools and integrations, you can transform Git stash from a simple command into a sophisticated workflow management system. Whether you prefer visual tools, IDE integration, or command line power, modern stash implementations help you manage code changes more effectively than ever before.

FAQ on What Does Git Stash Do

What exactly does Git stash save?

Git stash captures your modified files and staged changes at the moment you run the command. It’s essentially a snapshot of your working directory and index state, saved outside the normal commit history.

This temporary storage includes tracked files with changes but excludes untracked and ignored files by default. Want those included too? Use the -u flag for untracked files or -a for both untracked and ignored files.

The stash doesn’t just store content differences—it preserves the exact state of your work, including what was staged versus unstaged. This comprehensive code preservation makes it perfect for context switching between tasks in busy software development environments.

How do I recover a dropped stash?

Lost a stash? Don’t panic. When you drop a stash with git stash drop, Git doesn’t immediately remove it from the object database—it just deletes the reference. The stash commit objects remain in Git’s storage until garbage collection runs. To recover:

git fsck --unreachable | grep commit | cut -d' ' -f3 | xargs git log -n1 --pretty=format:"%H %ai %s"

This shows unreachable commits with dates and messages. Look for something resembling your stash—usually with a message like “WIP on branch” or your custom stash message. Once identified:

git update-ref refs/stash 1a2b3c4d5e6f

Replace 1a2b3c4d5e6f with the commit hash. Your stash is now restored! This technique, often discussed on Stack Overflow, has saved countless hours of work across software teams worldwide.

Can I stash changes on multiple branches?

Yes! Git stash works across branches, making it perfect for Git branch switching. Each stash records which branch it was created on, but you can apply a stash to any branch. This is incredibly useful in Git workflow scenarios where you:

  1. Stash changes on branch A
  2. Switch to branch B
  3. Apply those changes to branch B

The process is straightforward:

git stash save "Feature work from branch-A"
git checkout branch-B
git stash apply

If conflicts occur during application, Git will notify you. This cross-branch flexibility is why stash is so valuable for software engineering teams working with complex feature branch structures and Git flow methodologies.

What’s the difference between git stash pop and git stash apply?

Both commands reintroduce stashed changes to your working directory, but with a crucial difference in how they handle the stash afterward:

  • git stash pop applies the changes AND removes the stash from your stash list
  • git stash apply applies the changes BUT keeps the stash in your stash list

When to use which? Use pop when you’re confident you won’t need the stash again—it keeps your stash list clean. Use apply when you might need to apply the same stash multiple times or to different branches. Many Git tutorials recommend apply for beginners because it’s safer—the stash remains available if anything goes wrong during application. This distinction is especially important in continuous integration environments where preserving work context is critical.

How do I stash only specific files?

For selective stashing, Git offers several approaches:

# Stash specific files
git stash push path/to/file1.js path/to/file2.css

# Interactive stashing (choose changes within files)
git stash -p

# Stash everything EXCEPT specific files
git stash push -k $(git ls-files | grep -v "file-to-keep.js")

The -p (patch) option is particularly powerful—it presents each changed “hunk” with options to stash or keep it. This granular control is invaluable when working on multiple unrelated changes simultaneously. Git GUI clients like GitKraken and Sourcetree make this even easier with visual selection tools. Selective stashing is a hallmark of advanced Git workflow that supports clean code management practices.

Can Git stash include untracked or ignored files?

By default, Git stash only captures modified tracked files—those already known to Git. But you can extend its reach:

# Include untracked files (new files)
git stash -u

# Include both untracked AND ignored files
git stash -a

When would you use these flags? The -u flag helps when you’ve created new files that aren’t yet tracked but want to include them in your stash. The -a flag is rarer but useful when you need to preserve absolutely everything, including files normally ignored via .gitignore. Most web development workflows benefit from the -u flag when switching contexts with newly created assets. This behavior is documented in the Git reference manual but often overlooked by beginners.

How many stashes can I create?

Git places no practical limit on the number of stashes you can create. Your stash stack can grow indefinitely, but with a caveat: performance and manageability. While technically unlimited, most software teams follow Git best practices by keeping their stash count reasonable—usually under 10 active stashes.

Each stash consumes a small amount of storage in the Git object database, so excessive stashing on large repositories can impact performance slightly. More importantly, a long stash list becomes harder to navigate:

git stash list
stash@{0}: WIP on feature: a1b2c3d CSS updates
stash@{1}: WIP on feature: e4f5g6h API integration
...
stash@{42}: WIP on something: ???

After a certain point, finding the stash you need becomes challenging. As with many aspects of software development, just because you can create unlimited stashes doesn’t mean you should. Maintain a clean stash stack by applying or dropping stashes when you’re done with them.

Can I share my stash with other developers?

While Git stash is primarily designed for local use, you can share stashes between repositories:

# Export a stash to a patch file
git stash show -p stash@{0} > my-stash.patch

# In another repository
git apply my-stash.patch

For more complex stashes:

# Create a branch from your stash
git stash branch feature-from-stash stash@{0}

# Push that branch to share
git push origin feature-from-stash

This isn’t a common Git workflow pattern because stashes are meant for temporary storage, not collaboration. Most software engineering teams use branches with pull requests for sharing work. However, this technique can be valuable when pairing with colleagues or in emergency situations. Platforms like GitHub and GitLab don’t have built-in stash sharing mechanisms, reinforcing that stashes are primarily personal tools.

Do stashes expire or get deleted automatically?

No, Git stashes don’t expire automatically. Once created, a stash remains in your repository indefinitely until you explicitly remove it with:

git stash drop stash@{n}  # Remove specific stash
git stash clear           # Remove all stashes

However, there is a potential gotcha: Git’s garbage collection. When you run git gc (manually or when triggered automatically), unreferenced objects may be removed. If you’ve somehow lost the reference to a stash but not its contents, garbage collection might eventually clean it up.

Some DevOps teams implement custom Git hooks to warn about or clean up old stashes:

# Pre-commit hook example
STALE_DAYS=30
STALE_STASHES=$(git stash list --date=local --format="%gd %cr" | 
                awk -v days="$STALE_DAYS days ago" '$0 ~ days {print $1}')

if [ -n "$STALE_STASHES" ]; then
  echo "Warning: You have stashes older than $STALE_DAYS days:"
  echo "$STALE_STASHES"
fi

This kind of proactive stash management promotes good code management hygiene.

What happens if I get conflicts when applying a stash?

Merge conflicts during stash application are handled similarly to regular Git merge conflicts:

git stash pop
# CONFLICT (content): Merge conflict in file.js

When conflicts occur:

  1. Git applies changes that don’t conflict
  2. Conflicting changes are marked in the files with standard conflict markers (<<<<<<<=======>>>>>>>)
  3. The stash remains in your stash list (even with pop) until conflicts are resolved
  4. You must resolve conflicts manually by editing the files
  5. After resolving, mark files as resolved with git add
  6. Complete the stash application with git stash drop if you used pop

This safety mechanism ensures you don’t lose work during conflict resolution. IDE integrations like those in VS Code and JetBrains products offer visual merge conflict resolution, making this process much easier. Learning to handle stash conflicts confidently is an essential skill for any developer working in busy open source projects or fast-moving software teams.

Conclusion

Understanding what does Git stash do transforms how you handle interruptions in your development process. This powerful Git command lets you freeze your current state—preserving modified filesstaged changes, and even untracked files—while you address urgent matters. It’s the digital equivalent of putting your work in a safe drawer.

The stash functionality goes beyond basic code preservation. It enables smooth context switching, supports complex collaboration tools workflows, and integrates with popular IDE integrations and Git GUI clients. For teams practicing agile development, stash becomes essential for handling the inevitable task switching that occurs throughout the day.

Whether you’re a junior developer just learning version control or a seasoned software engineering veteran, mastering Git stash will make you more productive. Next time you’re deep in code and an emergency pull request needs review, remember: stash isn’t just a command—it’s your workflow lifeline. Your future self will thank you for keeping your Git repository management clean and your changes safely preserved.

If you liked this article about what does Git stash do, you should check out this article about what does Git mean.

There are also similar articles discussing what does Git fetch do, what is Git rebase, what does Git pull do, and what is Git bash.

And let’s not forget about articles on how to use Git, how to clone a Git repository, how to delete a branch in Git, and how to revert a commit in Git.

7328cad6955456acd2d75390ea33aafa?s=250&d=mm&r=g What Does Git Stash Do? Save and Restore Changes
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