Question 1

Why not just commit the work before switching?

Accepted Answer

The contact form is half-finished, so a commit would record a broken state into history. git stash lets you set the changes aside cleanly without making a messy commit you would later have to undo.

Question 2

Where do stashed changes go?

Accepted Answer

Onto a stack Git keeps separate from your branches. git stash pushes the current uncommitted changes there and cleans your working tree; git stash pop takes the most recent entry back out and reapplies it.

Question 3

What is the difference between git stash pop and git stash apply?

Accepted Answer

pop reapplies the changes and removes them from the stash. apply reapplies them but leaves the entry on the stack, which is useful if you want to apply the same stash to more than one branch.

Question 4

Will I lose my work if I stash it?

Accepted Answer

No. The changes are stored safely on the stash stack. git stash list shows them, and they wait there until you pop or drop them.

Question 5

How do I get my stashed changes back?

Accepted Answer

Run git stash pop to apply the most recent stash and remove it from the stack, or git stash apply to apply it while keeping it. Use git stash list to see everything you have stashed.

Question 6

How do I stash untracked files too?

Accepted Answer

By default git stash ignores untracked files. Add the -u flag (git stash -u, short for --include-untracked) to stash new files as well, or -a to also include ignored files.

Question 7

Can I have more than one stash at once?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Each git stash pushes a new entry onto the stack. git stash list shows them as stash@{0}, stash@{1}, and so on, and you can apply a specific one with git stash apply stash@{1}.

Question 8

How do I give a stash a name so I remember it?

Accepted Answer

Use git stash push -m "message". The message appears in git stash list, which makes it much easier to find the right stash later.

How to Use git stash - Save Work in Progress Temporarily | WebTerm