How would I extract a single file (or changes to a file) from a git stash?

 

To extract a single file (or changes to a file) from a Git stash, you can use the git checkout command with the stash reference and the path to the file you want to extract. Here's how to do it with an example:

Suppose you have stashed changes and you want to extract a specific file named file-to-extract.txt from your stash.

1. List Your Stashes:

   First, list your stashes to identify the stash you want to extract from:

   bash

git stash list

The command will display a list of stashes, each with a reference like stash@{0}, stash@{1}, etc.

Extract the File from the Stash:

Use the git checkout command to extract the specific file from the stash. Replace stash@{n} with the stash reference you want to extract from (e.g., stash@{0}) and file-to-extract.txt with the path to the file you want to extract:

bash

git checkout stash@{0} -- file-to-extract.txt

This command will extract the file file-to-extract.txt from the specified stash and place it in your working directory.

Verify the Extracted File:

You can use git status to verify that the extracted file is now in your working directory:

bash

git status

The extracted file should appear as an untracked file in your working directory.

Commit the Extracted Changes (if needed):

If you want to commit the extracted changes, you can use git add and git commit as usual:

bash

4. git add file-to-extract.txt
   git commit -m "Extracted changes from stash"
   

This example demonstrates how to extract a specific file from a Git stash. You can adjust the stash reference and file path as needed for your use case.