git status shows modifications, git checkout -- <file> doesn't remove them

rbellamy picture rbellamy · Jan 6, 2010 · Viewed 121.3k times · Source

I would like to remove all changes to my working copy.
Running git status shows files modified.
Nothing I do seems to remove these modifications.
E.g.:

rbellamy@PROMETHEUS /d/Development/rhino-etl (master)
$ git status
# On branch master
# Changed but not updated:
#   (use "git add <file>..." to update what will be committed)
#   (use "git checkout -- <file>..." to discard changes in working directory)
#
#       modified:   Rhino.Etl.Core/Enumerables/CachingEnumerable.cs
#       modified:   Rhino.Etl.Core/Pipelines/SingleThreadedPipelineExecuter.cs
#       modified:   Rhino.Etl.Tests/Rhino.Etl.Tests.csproj
#       modified:   Rhino.Etl.Tests/SingleThreadedPipelineExecuterTest.cs
#
no changes added to commit (use "git add" and/or "git commit -a")

rbellamy@PROMETHEUS /d/Development/rhino-etl (master)
$ git checkout -- Rhino.Etl.Core/Enumerables/CachingEnumerable.cs

rbellamy@PROMETHEUS /d/Development/rhino-etl (master)
$ git status
# On branch master
# Changed but not updated:
#   (use "git add <file>..." to update what will be committed)
#   (use "git checkout -- <file>..." to discard changes in working directory)
#
#       modified:   Rhino.Etl.Core/Enumerables/CachingEnumerable.cs
#       modified:   Rhino.Etl.Core/Pipelines/SingleThreadedPipelineExecuter.cs
#       modified:   Rhino.Etl.Tests/Rhino.Etl.Tests.csproj
#       modified:   Rhino.Etl.Tests/SingleThreadedPipelineExecuterTest.cs
#
no changes added to commit (use "git add" and/or "git commit -a")

rbellamy@PROMETHEUS /d/Development/rhino-etl (master)
$ git checkout `git ls-files -m`

rbellamy@PROMETHEUS /d/Development/rhino-etl (master)
$ git status
# On branch master
# Changed but not updated:
#   (use "git add <file>..." to update what will be committed)
#   (use "git checkout -- <file>..." to discard changes in working directory)
#
#       modified:   Rhino.Etl.Core/Enumerables/CachingEnumerable.cs
#       modified:   Rhino.Etl.Core/Pipelines/SingleThreadedPipelineExecuter.cs
#       modified:   Rhino.Etl.Tests/Rhino.Etl.Tests.csproj
#       modified:   Rhino.Etl.Tests/SingleThreadedPipelineExecuterTest.cs
#
no changes added to commit (use "git add" and/or "git commit -a")

rbellamy@PROMETHEUS /d/Development/rhino-etl (master)
$ git reset --hard HEAD
HEAD is now at 6c857e7 boo libraries updated to 2.0.9.2 and rhino.dsl.dll updated.

rbellamy@PROMETHEUS /d/Development/rhino-etl (master)
$ git status
# On branch master
# Changed but not updated:
#   (use "git add <file>..." to update what will be committed)
#   (use "git checkout -- <file>..." to discard changes in working directory)
#
#       modified:   Rhino.Etl.Core/Enumerables/CachingEnumerable.cs
#       modified:   Rhino.Etl.Core/Pipelines/SingleThreadedPipelineExecuter.cs
#       modified:   Rhino.Etl.Tests/Rhino.Etl.Tests.csproj
#       modified:   Rhino.Etl.Tests/SingleThreadedPipelineExecuterTest.cs
#
no changes added to commit (use "git add" and/or "git commit -a")

Answer

Rian Sanderson picture Rian Sanderson · Sep 13, 2013

I was having this problem on Windows but wasn't prepared to look into the ramifications of using config --global core.autocrlf false I also wasn't prepared to abandon other private branches and goodies in my stash and start with a fresh clone. I just need to get something done. Now.

This worked for me, on the idea that you let git rewrite your working directory completely:

git rm --cached -r .
git reset --hard

(Note that running just git reset --hard wasn't good enough nor was a plain rm on the files before the reset as are suggested in the comments to the original question)