How to install and use git-filter-repo on Windows

README.md

🧹 Removing Large Files from Git History with git-filter-repo

📋 Overview

This guide provides instructions for installing and using git-filter-repo on Windows to remove large or unwanted files from your Git repository history. This is particularly useful for removing files like:

• 📦 .exe files
• 📥 .zip archives
• 🔧 Terraform artifacts
• 📁 Other large binary files

❓ Why Use git-filter-repo?

GitHub has a file size limit of 100 MB per file. Even if you delete a large file from your current repository, it remains in your Git history. This can cause issues when pushing to GitHub. git-filter-repo is the recommended tool for safely rewriting Git history to remove these files.

🚀 Installation Guide

📋 Prerequisites

• ⚙️ Git installed on Windows
• 🐍 Python installed and added to system PATH

📥 Installation Steps

1. 📥 Download the Script

   • Visit the official repository: git-filter-repo
   • Download the Python script by right-clicking this link and selecting "Save As"
   • Save the file as git-filter-repo.py

2. 📦 Install the Script

   • Move the downloaded script to your Git installation's core directory:

     C:\Program Files\Git\mingw64\libexec\git-core\
     

3. ✅ Verify Python Installation

   • Open a terminal and run:

     python --version

💻 Usage

🗑️ Removing .exe Files from History

To remove all .exe files from your Git history:

python "C:\Program Files\Git\mingw64\libexec\git-core\git_filter_repo.py" --path-glob '*.exe' --invert-paths --force
git push origin master --force

⚠️ Important Notes

• 🔒 Always create a backup of your repository before using git-filter-repo
• ⚡ The --force flag is required as this operation rewrites history
• 👥 All team members will need to re-clone the repository after these changes
• 📢 Make sure to communicate these changes to your team before proceeding

📚 Additional Resources

• 📖 Official git-filter-repo Documentation
• 📊 GitHub File Size Limits