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No sabes el código del maletín; no lo guardes.

No sabes el código del maletín; no lo guardes.
You do not know the briefcase's code; do not put it away.
From Lesson 135:Pronouns with negative commands (no me lo des)·Spanish (Latin America)

Questions & Answers about No sabes el código del maletín; no lo guardes.

Why is lo placed before guardes? Shouldn't pronouns attach to the command?
Pronouns only attach to the end of positive commands, like guárdalo (put it away). Because this is a negative command telling someone not to do something, the pronoun must go between no and the verb, giving us no lo guardes.
Why does guardar change to guardes here? Isn't the tú form guardas?
You use guardas for normal statements like "you put away". But for negative commands with tú, AR verbs like guardar swap their usual A for an E ending. That is why it becomes no guardes.
How do we know what lo means in this sentence?
lo means "it" and replaces a masculine singular noun. Here, we have two options: el código (the code) and el maletín (the briefcase). Common sense tells us it replaces the briefcase, since you would put away a briefcase rather than a code!
Why do we use sabes for knowing the code instead of conoces?
The verb saber is used for knowing facts or pieces of information, like a passcode. The other verb for "to know", conocer, is used for being familiar with people, places, or complex concepts.

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