File History

Track the complete history of any file across all commits.

Opening File History

From Staging Panel

1. Right-click any file (staged or unstaged)
2. Select File history

From Commit Details

1. Click a commit in the graph
2. Right-click any file in the list
3. Select File history

The File History Panel

Shows all commits that modified the selected file:

┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 📄 src/components/Login.tsx         │
├─────────────────────────────────────┤
│ feat: add remember me option        │
│ John Doe • 2 hours ago • a1b2c3d    │
├─────────────────────────────────────┤
│ fix: resolve validation bug         │
│ Jane Smith • Yesterday • e4f5g6h    │
├─────────────────────────────────────┤
│ feat: create login component        │
│ John Doe • Last week • i7j8k9l      │
└─────────────────────────────────────┘

Viewing Changes

Click any commit in the history to see:

• What changed in that specific commit
• The diff for just that file
• Before/after comparison

Use Cases

Understanding Code Evolution

See how a function changed over time:

1. Open file history
2. Scroll through commits
3. Click each to see changes

Finding Bug Introduction

Identify when a bug was introduced:

1. Open history for buggy file
2. Look for suspicious changes
3. Find the problematic commit

Tracking Authorship

See who changed what and when:

• Each commit shows author
• Useful for questions and reviews

Recovering Old Code

Find how code looked before:

1. Find relevant commit
2. View the file at that point
3. Copy what you need

Navigation

Scrolling

• Scroll through commit list
• Older commits at bottom

Clicking

• Click commit to view changes
• Diff shows that commit's changes

Closing

• Click X button
• Press Escape

Tips

Check the Right File

Ensure you're viewing history for the correct path. Renamed files may have separate histories.

Read Commit Messages

Good messages explain why changes were made.

Check Related Files

If history doesn't explain everything, check files changed in the same commits.

Limitations

Renamed Files

History may not follow renames automatically. You might see history only from the rename forward.

Deleted Files

Cannot open history for deleted files from UI. Use terminal:

git log --all -- path/to/deleted/file

Large Histories

Files with many commits may take a moment to load.

Related

• File History Guide — Detailed usage
• Commit Graph — Repository history
• Diff Viewer — Viewing changes