# Big repository cannot be reduced 2 messages from 2014-07-15 to 2014-07-16. Participants: Woody Wu, Michael Haggerty. Thread: https://gitlist.dev/t/37132 ## Woody Wu, 2014-07-15 16:43 Subject: Big repository cannot be reduced Message-ID: URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/a45d5548-b577-4588-92db-75339498034d%40email.android.com ``` Hi, I have tried some methods introduced in the network, but always failed.  Some big files committed by me to a very old branch then the files deleted and new branches were continuously created. Now the checkout directory has grown to about 80 megabytes.  What's the right way to permenently erase those garbage big files? Thanks in advance. - Woody Wu from mobile phone ``` ## Michael Haggerty, 2014-07-16 15:52 Subject: Re: Big repository cannot be reduced Message-ID: <53C69FAA.10306@alum.mit.edu> URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/53C69FAA.10306%40alum.mit.edu In-Reply-To: ``` On 07/15/2014 09:43 AM, Woody Wu wrote: > I have tried some methods introduced in the network, but always > failed. Some big files committed by me to a very old branch then the > files deleted and new branches were continuously created. Now the > checkout directory has grown to about 80 megabytes. What's the right > way to permenently erase those garbage big files? You probably need to use "git filter-branch" or maybe BFG (http://rtyley.github.io/bfg-repo-cleaner/) to rewrite history as if the big files had never been committed. But beware of the warnings about rewriting history--for example, any collaborators will have to rebase their branches onto the new history. Michael -- Michael Haggerty mhagger@alum.mit.edu ```