7 Git Mistakes Every Beginner Makes (and How to Avoid Them)

Git is powerful, but some mistakes repeat for everyone starting out.

1. Commit messages like “changes” — write what and why.
2. Working directly on main — branch per feature.
3. Pushing .env — add it to .gitignore before the first commit.
4. One giant commit — split changes into logical units.
5. Fearing conflicts — they are normal in team work.
6. push --force on a shared branch — use --force-with-lease.
7. Not pulling first — always start with git pull.