React template
Ready-to-use gitignore for React/Next/Vite projects.
Explore resourceHow to Add Files to .gitignore
Master every method to add files to .gitignore: new files, existing tracked files, folders, and file types. Learn git rm --cached and prevention techniques.
Choose Your Method
✨New Files (Not Yet Tracked)
Files that haven't been committed to Git yet. Simple to ignore.
# Just add to .gitignore
echo "filename.txt" >> .gitignore
git add .gitignore
git commit -m "Ignore filename.txt"
🔄Existing Files (Already Tracked)
Files already committed to Git. Need to untrack first.
# Untrack first, then ignore
git rm --cached filename.txt
echo "filename.txt" >> .gitignore
git add .
git commit -m "Stop tracking filename.txt"
Specific Addition Methods
1Add Single File
Command Line Method:
# Method 1: Direct append
echo "config.js" >> .gitignore
# Method 2: Text editor
nano .gitignore
# Add: config.js
File Editor Method:
Open .gitignore in any editor and add:
config.js
💡 Tip: Use relative paths from the repository root. For files in subdirectories, use src/config.js or **/config.js.
2Add Multiple Files at Once
Multiple Specific Files:
# Add multiple files to .gitignore
cat >> .gitignore << 'EOF'
config.js
secrets.json
debug.log
EOF
File Type Patterns:
# Ignore all files of certain types
echo "*.log" >> .gitignore
echo "*.tmp" >> .gitignore
echo "*.cache" >> .gitignore
3Add Entire Folders
✅ Correct Folder Syntax:
# Ignore entire folder
node_modules/
dist/
build/
Note the trailing slash (/) for folders
❌ Common Mistakes:
# Wrong - no trailing slash
node_modules
# Wrong - leading slash only
/node_modules
Without / it might match files too
4Add Already Tracked Files (Most Common Issue)
⚠️ Important: If files are already tracked by Git, simply adding them to .gitignore won't work. You must untrack them first.
Step-by-Step Process:
# Step 1: Check if file is tracked
git ls-files | grep filename.txt
# Step 2: Remove from Git tracking (keeps local file)
git rm --cached filename.txt
# Step 3: Add to .gitignore
echo "filename.txt" >> .gitignore
# Step 4: Commit changes
git add .gitignore
git commit -m "Stop tracking filename.txt"
For Multiple Files/Folders:
# Remove entire folder from tracking
git rm -r --cached node_modules/
# Remove all *.log files
git rm --cached *.log
Advanced Pattern Examples
📋 Common Patterns
Ignore specific file in any directory:
**/config.js
Ignore file only in root:
/config.js
Ignore all files except one:
*.log
!important.log
🎯 Specific Use Cases
Ignore files with specific extension in folder:
src/*.tmp
Ignore numbered files:
file[0-9].txt
Ignore multiple file types:
*.{log,tmp,cache}
Quick Add by Framework
🐍Python
echo "__pycache__/" >> .gitignore
echo "*.pyc" >> .gitignore
echo ".env" >> .gitignore
echo "venv/" >> .gitignore
📦Node.js
echo "node_modules/" >> .gitignore
echo "*.log" >> .gitignore
echo ".env" >> .gitignore
echo "dist/" >> .gitignore
🎮Unity
echo "[Ll]ibrary/" >> .gitignore
echo "[Tt]emp/" >> .gitignore
echo "[Ll]ogs/" >> .gitignore
echo "*.tmp" >> .gitignore
Verify Your Additions Work
🧪 Testing Commands
Check if specific file is ignored:
git check-ignore -v filename.txt
Shows which .gitignore rule matches (if any)
See all ignored files:
git status --ignored
Lists all files being ignored by Git
💡 Pro Tip: Use ourPattern Validator tool to test your .gitignore patterns before committing.
⚠️ Common Issues & Solutions
"I added to .gitignore but Git still tracks the file"
This happens when the file was already tracked before adding to .gitignore.
# Solution: Untrack first
git rm --cached filename
git commit -m "Stop tracking filename"
"Pattern not working for files in subdirectories"
Use **/pattern to match files at any depth.
# Wrong: only matches root
config.js
# Correct: matches anywhere
**/config.js
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