Stashing Changes

Learn how to save work-in-progress without committing.

What is Stashing?

Stashing lets you save your uncommitted changes temporarily so you can:

• Switch branches without committing half-done work
• Pull updates without conflicts
• Set aside changes to work on something urgent

Think of it as a clipboard for your Git changes.

The Stash Section

Stashes appear in the sidebar under the "Stashes" section:

• Shows the count of saved stashes
• Lists each stash with its message
• Most recent stash is at the top

Creating a Stash

From the Staging Panel

1. Click the stash button (box icon) next to the commit button
2. Enter a descriptive message
3. Click Stash

What Gets Stashed

• All unstaged changes
• All staged changes
• Untracked files (optionally)

After stashing, your working directory is clean.

Stash Messages

Always use descriptive messages:

• ✅ "WIP: user profile page styling"
• ✅ "Half-done: API integration for payments"
• ❌ "stuff"
• ❌ "temp"

Good messages help you remember what each stash contains.

Applying Stashes

Apply (Keep Stash)

Right-click a stash and select Apply:

• Restores the changes to your working directory
• Keeps the stash in the list (can apply again)

Pop (Remove Stash)

Right-click a stash and select Pop:

• Restores the changes to your working directory
• Removes the stash from the list

When to Use Each

• Apply — When you might need the stash again
• Pop — When you're done with the stash

Dropping Stashes

To delete a stash without applying it:

1. Right-click the stash
2. Select Drop
3. Confirm deletion

Cannot Undo

Dropped stashes cannot be recovered. Make sure you don't need the changes.

Stash Conflicts

If applying a stash conflicts with your current changes:

1. GitGUI shows a warning
2. Conflicted files appear in the staging panel
3. Resolve conflicts manually
4. Stage and commit the resolution

Common Workflows

Quick Branch Switch

1. Working on feature branch with uncommitted changes
2. Need to check something on main
3. Stash changes: "WIP: feature work"
4. Switch to main
5. Do your work
6. Switch back to feature branch
7. Pop the stash
8. Continue working

Pull Without Conflicts

1. Have local changes
2. Need to pull updates
3. Stash changes
4. Pull from remote
5. Pop the stash
6. Resolve any conflicts

Save Multiple WIPs

1. Stash current work: "WIP: login page"
2. Start new work
3. Stash that too: "WIP: signup page"
4. Now have two stashes
5. Apply whichever you need

Viewing Stash Contents

Currently, GitGUI shows stash messages in the list. To see the full contents of a stash, you can use the terminal:

git stash show -p stash@{0}

Tips

Stash Often

Don't be afraid to stash frequently. It's a safe operation.

Clean Up Old Stashes

Periodically review and drop stashes you no longer need.

Use Branches Instead

For longer work-in-progress, consider creating a branch instead of stashing.

Stash Before Risky Operations

Before rebasing, merging, or other complex operations, stash your changes as a safety net.

Limitations

• Stashes are local only (not pushed to remote)
• Large stashes can be slow to apply
• Conflicts may occur when applying to changed code

Next Steps

• File History — Track changes over time
• Reset & Force Push — Advanced operations