# Git Commit changes before merge

{% hint style="info" %}
You can't merge with local modifications. Git protects you from losing potentially important changes.
{% endhint %}

### You have three options:

#### Commit the change using

```bash
git commit -m "My message"
```

#### Stash it

Stashing acts as a stack, where you can push changes, and you pop them in reverse order.

To stash, type

```bash
git stash
```

Do the merge, and then pull the stash:

```bash
git stash pop
```

#### Discard the local changes

```bash
using git reset --hard
```

or

```bash
git checkout -t -f remote/branch
```

Or: Discard local changes for a specific file using git checkout filename


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