git-clean

Interactively delete untracked files

$ git clean [[-i|--interactive]]

$ git clean [[-n|--dry-run]]

$ git clean [[-f|--force]]

$ git clean [[-f|--force]] -d

$ git clean [[-f|--force]] -- [path/to/directory] '[*.ext]'

$ git clean [[-f|--force]] [[-e|--exclude]] '[*.ext]' [[-e|--exclude]] [path/to/directory]/

$ git clean [[-f|--force]] -x

git clean [-d] [-e<pattern>] [--exclude=<pattern>] [-f|--force] [-i|--interactive] [-n|--dry-run] [-q|--quiet] [-X] [-x] [--ignored] [--ignore-submodules] [--one-file] [--standard] [<path>...]

-d
    Remove untracked directories too.

-e <pattern>, --exclude=<pattern>
    Exclude files matching the pattern from removal.

-f, --force
    Force removal; required unless disabled in config.

-i, --interactive
    Interactively select files to remove.

-n, --dry-run
    Preview files without deleting.

-q, --quiet
    Suppress output and ignore errors.

-X
    Remove only files ignored by Git.

-x
    Remove all untracked files, ignoring .gitignore.

--ignored
    Show only ignored files.

--ignore-submodules
    Skip cleaning submodules (default).

--one-file, --standard
    Emulate Unix rm behavior for unreadable files.

git clean removes untracked files and directories from the Git working tree. Untracked items are those not added to the index or committed, including build artifacts, temporary files, or ignored content.

By default, it requires -f to force deletion, preventing accidental data loss. Use -n for a dry-run preview showing what would be removed without action. The -d option includes untracked directories; -x ignores .gitignore rules to remove all untracked files; -X removes only ignored files.

Interactive mode (-i) lets users selectively clean files. It operates on the entire tree unless paths are specified. Configurable via clean.requireForce to enforce safety checks.

This command is powerful for maintaining a clean workspace but destructive—deleted files are gone permanently unless backed up. Always dry-run first.

Destructive: deletes files permanently. Use -n first. Ignores Git-tracked files; submodules may need separate handling.

git clean -n (preview)
git clean -fd (force directories)
git clean -fdx (all files)

clean.requireForce: true enforces -f/-n/-i; false allows default run.

Introduced in Git 1.5.0 (February 2007). Interactive mode added in 1.7.0 (2010); options like -x refined for flexibility.

git-status(1), git-add(1), git-reset(1), gitignore(5), rm(1)