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Why Is .gitignore Not Working? How to Ignore Cached Files

  You have added   node_modules/ ,   .env , or a build directory to your   .gitignore   file. You saved the file. Yet, when you run   git status , Git still tracks changes to those files. When you push, those ignored files still end up in your remote repository. This is one of the most common sources of frustration in Git. It feels like the tool is broken, but it is actually doing exactly what it was designed to do. The problem is not your regex or the syntax of your ignore file. The problem is that  Git cannot ignore a file that it is currently tracking. This guide explains the architectural reason this happens and provides the specific commands to untrack files without deleting them from your local machine. The Root Cause: The Gatekeeper vs. The Tracker To understand why your ignore rule failed, you need to understand Git's three states: Working Directory:  Your actual files on disk. The Index (Staging Area):  The list of files Git is plann...