diff --git a/pc-bios/keymaps/.gitignore b/pc-bios/keymaps/.gitignore
deleted file mode 100644
index f90738f4dc..0000000000
--- a/pc-bios/keymaps/.gitignore
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-/*.stamp
diff --git a/plugins/.gitignore b/plugins/.gitignore
deleted file mode 100644
index 7b8aaa1f10..0000000000
--- a/plugins/.gitignore
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,2 +0,0 @@
-qemu-plugins-ld.symbols
-qemu-plugins-ld64.symbols
diff --git a/tests/.gitignore b/tests/.gitignore
deleted file mode 100644
index d03c037d77..0000000000
--- a/tests/.gitignore
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,32 +0,0 @@
-atomic_add-bench
-benchmark-crypto-cipher
-benchmark-crypto-hash
-benchmark-crypto-hmac
-check-*
-!check-*.c
-!check-*.sh
-fp/*.out
-qht-bench
-rcutorture
-test-*
-!test-*.c
-!test-*.py
-!docker/test-*
-test-qapi-commands.[ch]
-test-qapi-init-commands.[ch]
-include/test-qapi-commands-sub-module.[ch]
-test-qapi-commands-sub-sub-module.[ch]
-test-qapi-emit-events.[ch]
-test-qapi-events.[ch]
-include/test-qapi-events-sub-module.[ch]
-test-qapi-events-sub-sub-module.[ch]
-test-qapi-types.[ch]
-include/test-qapi-types-sub-module.[ch]
-test-qapi-types-sub-sub-module.[ch]
-test-qapi-visit.[ch]
-include/test-qapi-visit-sub-module.[ch]
-test-qapi-visit-sub-sub-module.[ch]
-test-qapi-introspect.[ch]
-*-test
-qapi-schema/*.test.*
-vm/*.img
diff --git a/tests/fp/.gitignore b/tests/fp/.gitignore
deleted file mode 100644
index 704fd42992..0000000000
--- a/tests/fp/.gitignore
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,2 +0,0 @@
-fp-test
-fp-bench
diff --git a/tests/migration/.gitignore b/tests/migration/.gitignore
deleted file mode 100644
index 84f37552e4..0000000000
--- a/tests/migration/.gitignore
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,2 +0,0 @@
-initrd-stress.img
-stress
diff --git a/tests/multiboot/.gitignore b/tests/multiboot/.gitignore
deleted file mode 100644
index 93ef99800b..0000000000
--- a/tests/multiboot/.gitignore
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,3 +0,0 @@
-*.bin
-*.elf
-test.out
diff --git a/tests/qemu-iotests/.gitignore b/tests/qemu-iotests/.gitignore
deleted file mode 100644
index da62054000..0000000000
--- a/tests/qemu-iotests/.gitignore
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,9 +0,0 @@
-check.log
-check.time*
-common.env
-*.out.bad
-*.notrun
-socket_scm_helper
-
-# ignore everything in the scratch directory
-scratch/
diff --git a/tests/tcg/.gitignore b/tests/tcg/.gitignore
deleted file mode 100644
index 84d7541b28..0000000000
--- a/tests/tcg/.gitignore
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,5 +0,0 @@
-# These are build artefacts which only appear when you are doing
-# builds directly in the source tree.
-config-*.mak
-*-softmmu/
-*-linux-user/
diff --git a/tests/uefi-test-tools/.gitignore b/tests/uefi-test-tools/.gitignore
deleted file mode 100644
index 9f246701de..0000000000
--- a/tests/uefi-test-tools/.gitignore
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,3 +0,0 @@
-Build
-Conf
-log