How do you stash an untracked file?

Question

I have changes to a file, plus a new file, and would like to use git stash to put them away while I switch to another task. But git stash by itself stashes only the changes to the existing file; the new file remains in my working tree, cluttering up my future work. How do I stash this untracked file?

Answer 1

To stash your working directory including untracked files (especially those that are in the .gitignore) then you probably want to use this cmd:

git stash --include-untracked 

Alternatively, you can use the shorthand -u instead of --include-untracked, or simply git stash --all which stashes all files, including untracked and ignored files. This bahaviour changed in 2018, so make sure your git is up to date.

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Warning: there seems to be (or have been) situations in which contents of ignored directories could be deleted permanently. See this archived website for more information.

Answer 2

As of git 1.7.7, git stash accepts the --include-untracked option (or short-hand -u). To include untracked files in your stash, use either of the following commands:

git stash --include-untracked # or git stash -u 

Warning, doing this will permanently delete your files if you have any directory/ entries in your gitignore file.*