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Git LFS (Large File Storage) is a Git extension for keeping large binary files—such as video, audio, datasets, and graphics—out of ordinary Git history. Git stores a small pointer in their place, while the actual file content lives on an LFS server. To start using it, install Git LFS, run git lfs install, track the file patterns you want, commit the resulting .gitattributes, and then use your usual Git commands.
Why use Git LFS?
Ordinary Git stores each committed version of a file in repository history. That works well for text and source code, but large binaries can make clones and repository transfers heavier, especially when those files change repeatedly. Deleting a large file in a later commit does not remove its earlier copies from Git history.
Git LFS replaces the repository’s copy of a tracked large file with a compact text pointer. The pointer records a version URL, a SHA-256 object ID, and the file’s byte size; the content itself is stored on a remote LFS server. Git retains its familiar commit workflow, while LFS handles transferring the large objects. See the GitHub explanation of Git LFS and the Git LFS project.
LFS is not a way to make large files disappear or make them free to store: the LFS server still holds the content, and its host may apply storage, bandwidth, and file-size limits.
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Install and configure Git LFS
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Install the Git LFS client using the instructions for your platform. The project documents packages and installers for Linux, macOS options including Homebrew and MacPorts, Git for Windows, and other platforms: Git LFS installation instructions.
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Run the setup command once for your user account:
git lfs installThis configures Git’s LFS filters and hooks for your user.
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From the repository, tell LFS which file patterns to track. For example:
git lfs track "*.psd"This adds or updates a rule in
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Stage and commit the attributes file along with the files that should use LFS:
git add .gitattributes path/to/artwork.psd git commit -m "Track artwork with Git LFS" git pushAfter the tracking rule is committed, the normal add, commit, and push workflow applies. The LFS pre-push hook uploads required LFS objects as part of pushing.
Track files that are already in the working tree
If you add a tracking rule for files already present in Git’s index, update the index so the files are staged according to the new attributes. From the repository root, run:
git add --renormalize .Review the staged changes, then commit the updated .gitattributes and files. The Git LFS FAQ documents this renormalization step: Git LFS FAQ.
This updates how files are handled going forward; it does not replace copies in older commits. If those historical copies are the problem, use a history migration.
Convert existing Git history with migration
git lfs track establishes rules for matching files in new commits. It does not rewrite existing commits or convert files already stored as ordinary Git blobs in earlier history. To move historical content into LFS, use git lfs migrate import, selecting the relevant paths and refs for your repository. The available options and their effects are described in the Git LFS migrate manual.
Before migrating
- Commit or stash uncommitted work so it is not mixed up with rewritten history.
- Decide which paths and refs should be migrated; migration scope matters, particularly in repositories with branches and tags.
- Use
git lfs migrate infoto inspect candidate files and review the migration result before publishing it. - Tell collaborators that history will change. They may need to coordinate their local branches and clones with the rewritten refs.
After migrating
Inspect the rewritten history and validate that the intended files are represented as LFS pointers and that the corresponding objects are available. Migration does not automatically push the rewritten history. Coordinate with the team, then deliberately push the rewritten refs to the remote; because commit IDs change, this is not an ordinary additive push.
If you are leaving LFS, the documented reverse operation is git lfs migrate export --everything. Export also rewrites history, so it requires the same review and coordination as importing files into LFS.
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Why do I see pointer files instead of the real files?
A pointer is what Git stores for an LFS-managed file. During checkout, Git LFS filters normally retrieve the object and put the real file in the working tree. If the client was configured with --skip-smudge, automatic download during checkout is skipped, so the working tree may still contain pointers until you fetch the content.
To download and check out LFS objects for the current checkout, run:
git lfs pullThe command reference explains fetching LFS objects and pulling them into the working tree. git lfs fetch downloads objects; git lfs pull combines fetching with checkout behavior. For repositories with many large objects, include and exclude settings can narrow which objects are transferred.
GitHub LFS file-size limits and usage
GitHub’s documentation lists these maximum individual LFS file sizes by plan. These are per-file limits, not storage quotas:
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| GitHub plan | Maximum individual LFS file size |
|---|---|
| Free | 2 GB |
| Pro | 2 GB |
| Team | 4 GB |
| Enterprise Cloud | 5 GB |
These limits are stated in GitHub’s documentation current in 2026; GitHub rejects LFS files larger than 5 GB. Check the GitHub LFS documentation for the current plan-specific limits before planning a migration.
GitHub also measures LFS storage and bandwidth against account allowances and documents paid additional usage. The size of an individual file limit therefore does not tell you how many files you can store or how much data collaborators can download without affecting allowances. Consult GitHub’s LFS billing documentation for applicable allowances and additional-usage terms.
Keep local LFS storage safe
git lfs prune removes old local LFS objects that are no longer needed by relevant local refs. Do not treat it as a way to delete the server copy or to fix remote storage usage. Before pruning, confirm that needed refs are available and that shared repositories are safe; the configuration manual warns against pruning when repositories share a storage directory. See Git LFS configuration.
Choosing an LFS host
Git LFS clients can work with an LFS server, but limits and behavior depend on the host. Before choosing a host or migrating a repository, check the following:
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- Maximum file size: Confirm the per-file cap is high enough for the largest asset.
- Storage and bandwidth: Check allowances, how usage is measured, and what happens when they are exceeded.
- Billing: Determine whether additional usage is available and how it is charged.
- Authentication and access: Verify that the people and automation that need the files can fetch and push them.
- Archive and download behavior: Confirm what happens when users download source archives or files through the host’s web interface.
- Locking and collaboration: If files are difficult to merge, check whether the host and workflow support file locking.
- Migration and selective fetching: Consider history conversion tools and whether clients can avoid downloading every large object.
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