Show commit history with a per-commit summary of changed files.
git whatchanged is essentially git log with --raw enabled by default and a slightly different default option set, presenting each commit alongside a compact list of the files it touched and how (added, modified, deleted, renamed). It predates git log and is preserved largely for compatibility with old habits and scripts.
For most users, git log --stat or git log --raw provides the same information with more flexibility, so whatchanged sees little use today. The Git documentation explicitly recommends git log for new code.
It remains useful as a one-line shortcut when you want a no-options view of who changed which files, particularly in older tutorials and shell aliases.
| Name | Description | Optional |
|---|---|---|
revision range |
An optional revision range to limit the output, like main..HEAD. | Yes |
-p |
Show patch text in addition to the file summary. | Yes |
--stat |
Show a diffstat for each commit instead of the raw summary. | Yes |
git whatchanged
git whatchanged --since='2 weeks ago'
git whatchanged -p src/