Create Files Without Extensions in Windows

If you use Git for anything you’ve probably had occasion to create a .gitignore file. The gitignore file simply tells Git to ignore specified files or directories that you don’t want managed by version control.

But if you’re a Windows user it can appear difficult to create the file. That’s because the file explorer doesn’t let you create files without an extension. A typical work around is to open a command window and use the rename function to rename a .txt file to a file without an extension. This works but it’s a pain. The easier solution is simply to create a text file with the file explorer but name it .gitignore. .

Putting the dot on the end of the file name without a declared extension results in the desired extensionless .gitignore . Of course this will work for any other extensionless file you want to create.

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