diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 714e8d395f..d6c3feb1bb 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -1,42 +1,7 @@
-fns.txt
-*.dSYM
-*_test
-
-/v
-/v2
-/v3
-/vprod
-/v-static
-/v_old
-/v_g
-/v_cg
-/v_prod
-/v_prod_cg
-/v_prod_g
-/vjs
-
-/v.c
-/v.*.c
-/v.c.out
-
-/cmd/tools/check-md
-/cmd/tools/performance_compare
-/cmd/tools/oldv
-/cmd/tools/vrepl
-/cmd/tools/vself
-/cmd/tools/vtest
-/cmd/tools/vtest-compiler
-/cmd/tools/vtest-fmt
-/cmd/tools/vtest-fixed
-/cmd/tools/vfmt
-/cmd/tools/vbin2v
-/cmd/tools/vup
-/cmd/tools/vpm
-/cmd/tools/vcreate
-/cmd/tools/vbuild-examples
-/cmd/tools/vbuild-tools
-/cmd/tools/vbuild-vbinaries
-
+# ignore all build binaries
+* 
+!*/
+!*.*
 *.exe
 *.o
 *.so
@@ -48,44 +13,52 @@ fns.txt
 *.pdb
 *.dll
 *.lib
-
-#
-# macOS.gitignore
-#
-# General
-.DS_Store
-
-# Thumbnails
-._*
-.vrepl_temp.v
+*.bak
 a.out
-vlib/os/bare/bare_example_linux
 
-info.log
-.vscode/**
+# ignore v build files
+/v.c
+/v.*.c
+/v.c.out
+.vrepl_temp.v
+fns.txt
 
-# vim/emacs editor backup files
+# ignore temp directories
+/temp
+/tmp
+
+# unignore special files without extension
+!.github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE
+!.editorconfig
+!.gitattributes
+!.gitignore
+!BSDmakefile
+!Dockerfile
+!Dockerfile.alpine
+!Dockerfile.cross
+!LICENSE
+!Makefile
+
+# ignore editor files
+.idea
+.project
+.classpath
+.c9
+*.launch
+.settings/
+*.sublime-workspace
+.vscode/
 *~
-
-# vim gitignore
 *.swp
 *.swo
 *.swn
 
-thirdparty/freetype/
-thirdparty/sdl2/
-thirdparty/SDL2_image/
-thirdparty/SDL2_mixer/
-thirdparty/SDL2_ttf/
-
+# ignore debugger files
 cachegrind.out.*
-
 .gdb_history
-/thirdparty/pg
-exe
-vlib/v/tests/inout/*.v
-!vlib/v/tests/inout/*_test.v
-vlib/v/checker/tests/inout/*.v
-vlib/v/checker/tests/inout/*.c
-!vlib/v/checker/tests/inout/*_test.v
-vlib/v/checker/tests/*.v
+*.dSYM
+
+# ignore system files
+.DS_Store
+._*
+thumbs.db
diff --git a/cmd/tools/.gitignore b/cmd/tools/.gitignore
deleted file mode 100644
index fcb39ffda3..0000000000
--- a/cmd/tools/.gitignore
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,9 +0,0 @@
-gen_vc
-performance_compare
-vcreate
-vnames
-vpm
-vrepl
-vtest
-vtest-compiler
-vup
diff --git a/examples/.gitignore b/examples/.gitignore
index b29782a730..218cb60e9b 100644
--- a/examples/.gitignore
+++ b/examples/.gitignore
@@ -1,20 +1 @@
-/cli
-/fibonacci
-/fizz_buzz
-/hanoi
-/hello_v_js
-/hello_world
-/json
-/links_scraper
-/log
-/nbody
-/news_fetcher
-/path_tracing
-/quick_sort
-/random_ips
-/rune
-/spectral
-/tcp_echo_server
-/terminal_control
-
 *.ppm
diff --git a/examples/database/.gitignore b/examples/database/.gitignore
deleted file mode 100644
index b9a0e61282..0000000000
--- a/examples/database/.gitignore
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,2 +0,0 @@
-mysql
-sqlite
diff --git a/examples/eventbus/.gitignore b/examples/eventbus/.gitignore
deleted file mode 100644
index 87a670807f..0000000000
--- a/examples/eventbus/.gitignore
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-eventbus
diff --git a/examples/game_of_life/.gitignore b/examples/game_of_life/.gitignore
deleted file mode 100644
index 314a7719d2..0000000000
--- a/examples/game_of_life/.gitignore
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,2 +0,0 @@
-life
-life_gg
diff --git a/examples/gg/.gitignore b/examples/gg/.gitignore
deleted file mode 100644
index 8bbfec4895..0000000000
--- a/examples/gg/.gitignore
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,2 +0,0 @@
-/gg_freetype
-/gg2
diff --git a/examples/hot_reload/.gitignore b/examples/hot_reload/.gitignore
index 1a1f2c1fe2..fc656b905e 100644
--- a/examples/hot_reload/.gitignore
+++ b/examples/hot_reload/.gitignore
@@ -1,3 +1 @@
-bounce
-graph
-message
+!glfw3.dll
diff --git a/examples/linear_regression/.gitignore b/examples/linear_regression/.gitignore
deleted file mode 100644
index c8a2fa9566..0000000000
--- a/examples/linear_regression/.gitignore
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-simple_linear_regression
diff --git a/examples/pico/.gitignore b/examples/pico/.gitignore
deleted file mode 100644
index 5d73e052aa..0000000000
--- a/examples/pico/.gitignore
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-pico
diff --git a/examples/sokol/.gitignore b/examples/sokol/.gitignore
deleted file mode 100644
index 286eadb91f..0000000000
--- a/examples/sokol/.gitignore
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,3 +0,0 @@
-fonts
-fonts2
-drawing
diff --git a/examples/tetris/.gitignore b/examples/tetris/.gitignore
deleted file mode 100644
index a8320cc9ba..0000000000
--- a/examples/tetris/.gitignore
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-tetris
diff --git a/examples/vcasino/.gitignore b/examples/vcasino/.gitignore
deleted file mode 100644
index 6b71e28f79..0000000000
--- a/examples/vcasino/.gitignore
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-VCasino
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/examples/vweb/.gitignore b/examples/vweb/.gitignore
deleted file mode 100644
index aeff3f87f0..0000000000
--- a/examples/vweb/.gitignore
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-vweb_example
diff --git a/examples/word_counter/.gitignore b/examples/word_counter/.gitignore
deleted file mode 100644
index a56cab926e..0000000000
--- a/examples/word_counter/.gitignore
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-word_counter
diff --git a/examples/x64/.gitignore b/examples/x64/.gitignore
deleted file mode 100644
index 242c034c12..0000000000
--- a/examples/x64/.gitignore
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-hello_world
diff --git a/thirdparty/.gitignore b/thirdparty/.gitignore
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..b6565ea71a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/thirdparty/.gitignore
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+!glfw/glfw3.dll
+!glfw/msvc/glfw3.lib
+
+freetype/
+sdl2/
+SDL2_image/
+SDL2_mixer/
+SDL2_ttf/
+pg/
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/vlib/net/ftp/.gitignore b/vlib/net/ftp/.gitignore
deleted file mode 100644
index e3b23685ed..0000000000
--- a/vlib/net/ftp/.gitignore
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,2 +0,0 @@
-ftp_test
-*.bak
diff --git a/vlib/v/checker/tests/.gitignore b/vlib/v/checker/tests/.gitignore
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..07d7f52ac5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/vlib/v/checker/tests/.gitignore
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+*.v
+*.c
+!*_test.v
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/vlib/v/tests/inout/.gitignore b/vlib/v/tests/inout/.gitignore
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..bd1a1a03ad
--- /dev/null
+++ b/vlib/v/tests/inout/.gitignore
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+*.v
+!*_test.v
+!*.out
\ No newline at end of file