---
name: "git-lfs"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "git-lfs"
version: "3.8.1-1"
release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/git-lfs"
---

# git-lfs(1)

Work with large files in Git repositories

## NAME

git-lfs - Work with large files in Git repositories

## SYNOPSIS

```
git lfs <command> [<args>]
```

## DESCRIPTION

Git LFS is a system for managing and versioning large files in association with a Git repository. Instead of storing the large files within the Git repository as blobs, Git LFS stores special "pointer files" in the repository, while storing the actual file contents on a Git LFS server. The contents of the large file are downloaded automatically when needed, for example when a Git branch containing the large file is checked out.

Git LFS works by using a "smudge" filter to look up the large file contents based on the pointer file, and a "clean" filter to create a new version of the pointer file when the large file’s contents change. It also uses a `pre-push` hook to upload the large file contents to the Git LFS server whenever a commit containing a new large file version is about to be pushed to the corresponding Git server.

## COMMANDS

Like Git, Git LFS commands are separated into high level ("porcelain") commands and low level ("plumbing") commands.

### High level porcelain commands

[git-lfs-checkout(1)](/git-lfs-checkout/1.md)

Populate working copy with real content from Git LFS files.

[git-lfs-completion(1)](/git-lfs-completion/1.md)

Generate shell scripts for command-line tab-completion of Git LFS commands.

[git-lfs-dedup(1)](/git-lfs-dedup/1.md)

De-duplicate Git LFS files.

[git-lfs-env(1)](/git-lfs-env/1.md)

Display the Git LFS environment.

[git-lfs-ext(1)](/git-lfs-ext/1.md)

Display Git LFS extension details.

[git-lfs-fetch(1)](/git-lfs-fetch/1.md)

Download Git LFS files from a remote.

[git-lfs-fsck(1)](/git-lfs-fsck/1.md)

Check Git LFS files for consistency.

[git-lfs-install(1)](/git-lfs-install/1.md)

Install Git LFS configuration.

[git-lfs-lock(1)](/git-lfs-lock/1.md)

Set a file as "locked" on the Git LFS server.

[git-lfs-locks(1)](/git-lfs-locks/1.md)

List currently "locked" files from the Git LFS server.

[git-lfs-logs(1)](/git-lfs-logs/1.md)

Show errors from the Git LFS command.

[git-lfs-ls-files(1)](/git-lfs-ls-files/1.md)

Show information about Git LFS files in the index and working tree.

[git-lfs-migrate(1)](/git-lfs-migrate/1.md)

Migrate history to or from Git LFS

[git-lfs-prune(1)](/git-lfs-prune/1.md)

Delete old Git LFS files from local storage

[git-lfs-pull(1)](/git-lfs-pull/1.md)

Fetch Git LFS changes from the remote & checkout any required working tree files.

[git-lfs-push(1)](/git-lfs-push/1.md)

Push queued large files to the Git LFS endpoint.

[git-lfs-status(1)](/git-lfs-status/1.md)

Show the status of Git LFS files in the working tree.

[git-lfs-track(1)](/git-lfs-track/1.md)

View or add Git LFS paths to Git attributes.

[git-lfs-uninstall(1)](/git-lfs-uninstall/1.md)

Uninstall Git LFS by removing hooks and smudge/clean filter configuration.

[git-lfs-unlock(1)](/git-lfs-unlock/1.md)

Remove "locked" setting for a file on the Git LFS server.

[git-lfs-untrack(1)](/git-lfs-untrack/1.md)

Remove Git LFS paths from Git Attributes.

[git-lfs-update(1)](/git-lfs-update/1.md)

Update Git hooks for the current Git repository.

git-lfs-version(1)

Report the version number.

### Low level plumbing commands

[git-lfs-clean(1)](/git-lfs-clean/1.md)

Git clean filter that converts large files to pointers.

[git-lfs-filter-process(1)](/git-lfs-filter-process/1.md)

Git process filter that converts between large files and pointers.

[git-lfs-merge-driver(1)](/git-lfs-merge-driver/1.md)

Merge text-based LFS files

[git-lfs-pointer(1)](/git-lfs-pointer/1.md)

Build and compare pointers.

[git-lfs-post-checkout(1)](/git-lfs-post-checkout/1.md)

Git post-checkout hook implementation.

[git-lfs-post-commit(1)](/git-lfs-post-commit/1.md)

Git post-commit hook implementation.

[git-lfs-post-merge(1)](/git-lfs-post-merge/1.md)

Git post-merge hook implementation.

[git-lfs-pre-push(1)](/git-lfs-pre-push/1.md)

Git pre-push hook implementation.

[git-lfs-smudge(1)](/git-lfs-smudge/1.md)

Git smudge filter that converts pointer in blobs to the actual content.

[git-lfs-standalone-file(1)](/git-lfs-standalone-file/1.md)

Git LFS standalone transfer adapter for file URLs (local paths).

## EXAMPLES

To get started with Git LFS, the following commands can be used.

 1\. Setup Git LFS on your system. You only have to do this once per user account:

```
git lfs install
```

 2\. Choose the type of files you want to track, for examples all `ISO` images, with [git-lfs-track(1)](/git-lfs-track/1.md):

```
git lfs track "*.iso"
```

 3\. The above stores this information in [gitattributes(5)](/gitattributes/5.md) files, so that file needs to be added to the repository:

```
git add .gitattributes
```

 4\. Commit, push and work with the files normally:

```
git add file.iso
git commit -m "Add disk image"
git push
```