Steps to Recover a Dropped Stash

Find the Stash Reference

Even after a stash is dropped, its reference can still be found in the Git log. Use the following command to search the reflog (a log of changes to references) for stash entries:

git reflog | grep stash

This command will output a list of references related to stashes, including dropped ones. Each entry will have a commit hash associated with it.

Create a New Branch from the Stash Reference

Once you have identified the commit hash of the dropped stash, you can create a new branch from it. This allows you to recover the stashed changes.

git checkout -b recover-stash abcd123

Replace abcd123 with the actual commit hash of your dropped stash. This command creates and checks out a new branch named recover-stash from the specified commit.

Inspect and Apply the Stash Changes

Now that you have recovered the dropped stash into a new branch, you can inspect the changes. If you are satisfied with the changes, you can apply them to your current branch.

git checkout main
git merge recover-stash

Alternatively, if you want to apply the changes without merging the branch, you can use:

git stash apply recover-stash

Clean Up

After you have successfully recovered and applied your stashed changes, you can delete the temporary branch:

git branch -d recover-stash

Git stash is a useful feature that allows developers to temporarily save changes that are not yet ready to be committed. However, sometimes a stash might be accidentally dropped, seemingly resulting in lost work. Fortunately, Git provides ways to recover a dropped stash. This guide will walk you through the steps to recover a dropped stash in Git, ensuring your valuable work isn’t lost.