Change CRLF to LF
January 27, 2026
Change CRLF to LF
When collaborating between Windows and Mac/Linux environments, git diff can get messy due to line ending differences.
This difference occurs because Windows uses CRLF (\r\n) and Unix-based systems (Mac, Linux) use LF (\n), and it is naturally better to unify them.
This difference occurs because Windows uses CRLF (\r\n) and Unix-based systems (Mac, Linux) use LF (\n), and it is naturally better to unify them.
A good way to unify to LF within a Git project is to set up
.gitattributes and renormalize existing files.1. .gitattributes Settings
Create (or modify) the
This setting forces LF line endings for all text files.
.gitattributes file and add the following content.This setting forces LF line endings for all text files.
.gitattributesshell
2. Renormalize
If there are files already added with CRLF, you can renormalize and commit them.
If you are using git 2.16 or higher, you can use the
If you are using git 2.16 or higher, you can use the
--renormalize option.Renormalizeshell
If you are using git version below 2.16 or want to change it manually, you can simply modify it in the shell.