Git LFS handles large files by storing references to the file in the repository, but not the actual file itself. To work around Git's architecture, Git LFS creates a pointer file which acts as a reference to the actual file (which is stored somewhere else). GitHub manages this pointer file in your repository. When you clone the repository down, GitHub uses the pointer file as a map to go and find the large file for you.
Using Git LFS, you can store files up to:
| Product | Maximum file size |
|---|---|
| GitHub Free | 2 GB |
| GitHub Pro | 2 GB |
| GitHub Team | 4 GB |
| GitHub Enterprise Cloud | 5 GB |
You can also use Git LFS with GitHub Desktop. For more information about cloning Git LFS repositories in GitHub Desktop, see "Cloning a repository from GitHub to GitHub Desktop."
You can choose whether Git LFS objects are included in source code archives, such as ZIP files and tarballs, that GitHub creates for your repository. For more information, see "Managing Git LFS objects in archives of your repository."
Pointer file format
Git LFS's pointer file looks like this:
version https://git-lfs.github.com/spec/v1
oid sha256:4cac19622fc3ada9c0fdeadb33f88f367b541f38b89102a3f1261ac81fd5bcb5
size 84977953
It tracks the version of Git LFS you're using, followed by a unique identifier for the file (oid). It also stores the size of the final file.
Notes:
- Git LFS cannot be used with GitHub Pages sites.
- Git LFS cannot be used with template repositories.