Is deleting/recreating a branch easiest way to remove large files in history?

[Steve Novotny]

I know that reset can be used to backup to previous commits, but is deleting and recreating the branch a quicker and easier way to reduce the size of a branch with large files scattered throughout the commit history?

[Mikael Sandberg · Accepted solution]

Hi @Steve Novotny,

Welcome to Atlassian Community!

Branches are just pointers to different parts of the history and removing a branch will have no effect on the size of the repository, since the history of the large files is still in it. The only way to remove large files from the history is to clear the history out. You can read more about in this KB.

[Steve Novotny]

Thank you. That's what I feared.

[Steve Novotny]

I'm assuming if I want to back up to before the big files were pushed, I do the following:

git branch <keeper>

git reset --soft <commit id before big push> 

git push --force

git merge --ff-only <keeper>

git branch -d <keeper>

[Mikael Sandberg]

Yes, that is correct.

[Steve Novotny]

Thanks.  Just to verify: this will only affect the branch I am working on; it won't affect the main branch.  Is that correct?  

[Mikael Sandberg]

As long as you have not merged the push to the main branch then you will be good.