Remove node_modules from a git repo

bashMay 10, 2026

Stop tracking a committed node_modules folder and ignore it going forward.

If node_modules ended up committed, adding it to .gitignore alone won't help — git keeps tracking files it already knows about. You need to drop it from the index too.

Make sure a .gitignore exists at the repo root, then add the ignore rule:

.gitignore

**/node_modules

Drop node_modules from the index without deleting it from disk:

terminal

git rm -r --cached node_modules

Commit the removal alongside the updated .gitignore:

terminal

git add .gitignore
git commit -m "Stop tracking node_modules"
git push origin main

Anyone who pulls will see node_modules deleted from their checkout — they'll need to run npm install (or equivalent) to repopulate it.

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bash
Stop tracking a file that's already committed
Adding a path to .gitignore does not untrack files git already knows about. Use git rm --cached to drop it from the index while keeping the local copy.
```
echo "components.json" >> .gitignore
git rm --cached components.json
git commit -m "Stop tracking components.json"
```
- git
- gitignore
May 6, 2026
bash
Change a git remote's URL
Point an existing remote at a new URL without removing and re-adding it.
```
git remote set-url origin new.git.url/here
```
- git
- remote
May 10, 2026
bash
Delete local and remote git branches
Delete branches one at a time, or sweep up local branches whose upstream has already been deleted.
```
# Local
git branch -d BRANCH_NAME

# Remote
git push origin -d BRANCH_NAME
```
May 10, 2026

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Related snippets

Stop tracking a file that's already committed

Change a git remote's URL

Delete local and remote git branches