GitKraken Desktop Documentation

Diff, Patch, Blame, and History

Last updated: May 2025

Compare changes within GitKraken Desktop using diffs. Learn how to access them, view file history or file blame, and use external tools.


What Is a Diff in GitKraken Desktop?

A diff displays lines added and removed from a file:

  • Red indicates removed lines.
  • Green indicates added lines.
Full-screen diff view with color-coded changes.

GitKraken Desktop’s built-in diff viewer includes:

  • Word diffing
  • Syntax highlighting
  • File mini-map
  • Toggleable views: Hunk, Inline, Split
  • Arrows to navigate between change sets

Use the button to directly edit the file. Learn more in the Editing Files section.


Where Can I Access the Diff?

You can view diffs from:

  • Staging area: Click a file to open its diff
  • Commit node: Select a commit and click any file

Selecting two commits shows the differences between them.

Diff view comparing two selected commits.

You can also select multiple commit rows using Shift + Click to show a combined diff:

Combined diff across multiple selected commits.

Hunk View

Displays only the changed blocks of a file.

Hunk view highlights change blocks without full context.

Inline View

Displays changes within the full context of the file.

Inline view shows changes inline with full file content.

Split View

Displays changes side-by-side, with the original file on the left and the updated version on the right.

Split view compares before (left) and after (right) file states.

External Diff Tools

Configure an external diff tool in Preferences External Tools:

Configure your preferred diff tool from Preferences.

Supported tools include:

  • Beyond Compare
  • FileMerge
  • Kaleidoscope
  • KDiff
  • Araxis
  • P4Merge

If a supported tool does not appear in the dropdown, verify that its command line tools are installed.

Example setup with Beyond Compare.

To use a different diff tool, go to Preferences General and set the Diff Tool to Git Config Default. Then add the appropriate configuration in your global .gitconfig:

macOS

[diff]
    tool = meld
[difftool "meld"]
    cmd = open -a Meld --args "$LOCAL" "$REMOTE"

Linux

[diff]
    tool = meld
[difftool "meld"]
    cmd = meld "$LOCAL" "$REMOTE"

Windows

[diff]
    tool = meld
[difftool]
    prompt = false
[difftool "meld"]
    cmd = meld "$LOCAL" "$REMOTE"

Diff a WIP

To compare your Work in Progress (WIP) with another commit or branch:

  • Use Ctrl/Cmd + click to select the WIP and another commit
  • Or, right-click a commit or branch and select Compare commit against working directory
Compare WIP with a commit or branch from the graph.

File Blame and History

Access File History and File Blame from the file diff view. Options appear in the upper-right corner.

Use buttons in the top-right to view file history or blame.

Alternatively, right-click a file after selecting a commit in the graph.

Access history or blame from the commit graph.

File Blame color-codes each line or hunk by author.

Blame view showing per-line author contributions.

Use the toggle in the top-right to switch between Diff View (showing changes) and File View (showing the full file with blame).


Patch

A patch (or patch file) records the differences between files. Patches allow users to share changes without pushing them to a remote repository.

Create Patch from File(s)

To create a patch:

  • Right-click a commit and choose Create patch from commit
  • Right-click a file and choose Create patch from file changes

You will be prompted to name the patch file.

Create a patch from a commit.
Create a patch from file changes.

You can also multi-select files or commits using Shift or Cmd/Ctrl + click, then right-click to create a patch.

Create a patch from multiple files or commits.

Create Patch from Command Palette

Launch the Command Palette from the toolbar or with Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + P, then search for “Create Patch.”

Create a patch using the Command Palette.

Apply Patch from Command Palette

To apply a patch:

  1. Open the Command Palette (Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + P)
  2. Type “Apply Patch” and select the command
  3. Choose your .patch file in the file explorer
Apply a patch from the file system.

Note: GitKraken Desktop does not currently support generating patches from binary files. This is a preliminary release. For feedback, contact our support team.

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