TortoiseGit Hard Reset: Untracked File Deletion Behavior

Answer to the Question

When you choose Reset → Hard in TortoiseGit, the underlying command is git reset --hard. This operation rewrites the index and the working directory to match the target commit, but it does not touch files that are not tracked by Git. Therefore, untracked files remain untouched and are not deleted or moved to the Recycle Bin.

There is no TortoiseGit configuration that will prompt you to preserve untracked data before the hard reset, because the reset itself does not affect those files. The only confirmation dialog you see is the generic "Confirm hard reset" warning about potential loss of tracked changes.

Confirming the Behavior

1. Open the repository in TortoiseGit.
2. Right‑click the working directory, choose Reset → Hard, and confirm.
3. Open the TortoiseGit Log or Status window – any untracked files you had before the reset will still be listed as Untracked.

Safeguarding Untracked Files (if you want extra protection)

• Stash them first: git stash --include-untracked creates a stash that includes all untracked files. After the reset, run git stash pop to restore them.
• Alternatively, inspect what would be removed by git clean -n (dry run) and manually back up any files you care about.
• Be cautious with the Reset and Clean option (available in some TortoiseGit versions). That option will delete untracked files; confirm the dialog before proceeding.

Missing Diagnostic Detail

Does your workflow use the Reset and Clean option (the one that also runs git clean after the reset)? If so, the steps above need to be adjusted because that option will indeed remove untracked files.