How to Create and Edit .gitignore Files
Updated: February 2026
The .gitignore file specifies which files and directories Git should ignore in version control. This prevents committing temporary files, build outputs, secrets, and system files to your repository.
Creating .gitignore Files
Create file named exactly
.gitignore
in your repository root. On Windows, use text editor "Save As" with "All Files" type to prevent .txt extension.
Basic .gitignore Syntax
Each line specifies a pattern:
# Comments start with hash
*.log
node_modules/
.env
build/
*.tmp
Wildcards (*) match multiple characters. Trailing slash (/) matches directories. Leading slash matches root directory only.
Common .gitignore Patterns
-
Node.js:
node_modules/, npm-debug.log -
Python:
__pycache__/, *.pyc, venv/ -
Java:
*.class, target/, *.jar -
General:
.DS_Store, .env, *.log, *.tmp
Helpful Resources
Visit gitignore.io to generate .gitignore templates for your programming language and IDE. GitHub also provides official gitignore templates for every major language and framework.
Applying .gitignore to Existing Files
If files are already tracked, .gitignore won't affect them. Remove from Git with:
git rm --cached filename
, then commit.
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Frequently Asked Questions about How to Create and Edit .gitignore Files
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