File History

Track the complete history of any file in your repository.

Opening File History

From the Search Bar (Fastest)

1. Press Ctrl+F to open the search & filter panel
2. Type a filename in the file search field (right side)
3. Click a matching result to open its history instantly

From the File Browser

1. Click the folder icon (📁) in the file search field
2. Navigate the repository tree
3. Click any file to open its history

From Staging Panel

1. Right-click any file (staged or unstaged)
2. Select File history

From Commit Details

1. Click a commit to see its files
2. Right-click any file
3. Select File history

The File History Panel

The file history panel shows:

• File path at the top
• List of commits that modified this file
• Commit details for each entry

Each commit entry displays:

• Commit message
• Author
• Date
• Short hash

Viewing Changes

Click any commit in the file history to see:

• What changed in that specific commit
• The diff for just that file
• Before/after comparison

Use Cases

Understanding Code Evolution

See how a function or component changed over time:

1. Open file history for the file
2. Scroll through commits
3. Click each to see incremental changes

Finding When a Bug Was Introduced

1. Open file history for the buggy file
2. Look for suspicious changes
3. Identify the commit that introduced the issue

Tracking Authorship

See who made changes to a file and when:

• Each commit shows the author
• Useful for code review and questions

Recovering Old Code

If you need to see how code looked before:

1. Find the relevant commit in history
2. View the file at that point
3. Copy what you need

Navigating History

Scrolling

• Scroll through the commit list
• Older commits are at the bottom

Clicking Commits

• Click to view that commit's changes
• The diff viewer shows the file's changes

Closing

• Click the X button
• Press Escape

Tips

Start from the Right File

Make sure you're viewing history for the correct file path. Renamed files may have separate histories.

Look at Commit Messages

Good commit messages help you understand why changes were made, not just what changed.

Check Related Files

If a file's history doesn't explain everything, check related files that might have been changed together.

Limitations

Renamed Files

Git tracks renames, but the history view may not follow renames automatically. You might see history only from the rename forward.

Deleted Files

You cannot open file history for deleted files from the UI. Use the command line:

git log --all --full-history -- path/to/deleted/file

Large Histories

Files with hundreds of commits may take a moment to load.

Next Steps

• Reset & Force Push — Advanced Git operations
• Keyboard Shortcuts — Speed up your workflow