Do you know how to view changes made to a file in GitHub?

If you find a mistake in a file hosted on GitHub, don’t just fix it blindly - check who made the change and why. This helps you understand the context and gives you the chance to inform the contributor if a correction is needed.

GitHub makes it easy to view a file's version history, compare changes, and even see discussions around each commit.
## Viewing changes to a file in GitHub

1. Navigate to the file in the repository on GitHub

   
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2. Click on the "History" button (clock icon) at the top right of the file view. You’ll see a list of commits that modified this file

   
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3. Click on a commit to view the **diff** - the [changes between two file versions](https://docs.github.com/en/pull-requests/committing-changes-to-your-project/viewing-and-comparing-commits/differences-between-commit-views), showing what was added, deleted, or changed

   
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<asideEmbed
  variant="info"
  body={<>
    If you're working locally, you can also run the following commands to view the exact changes within the terminal.

```shell
git log -- path/to/file
git show <commit-hash>
```
  </>}
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