SYNOPSIS
git branch [--color[=<when>] | --no-color] [--show-current]
[-v [--abbrev=<n> | --no-abbrev]]
[--column[=<options>] | --no-column] [--sort=<key>]
[--merged [<commit>]] [--no-merged [<commit>]]
[--contains [<commit>]] [--no-contains [<commit>]]
[--points-at <object>] [--format=<format>]
[(-r | --remotes) | (-a | --all)]
[--list] [<pattern>…]
git branch [--track[=(direct|inherit)] | --no-track] [-f]
[--recurse-submodules] <branchname> [<start-point>]
git branch (--set-upstream-to=<upstream> | -u <upstream>) [<branchname>]
git branch --unset-upstream [<branchname>]
git branch (-m | -M) [<oldbranch>] <newbranch>
git branch (-c | -C) [<oldbranch>] <newbranch>
git branch (-d | -D) [-r] <branchname>…
git branch --edit-description [<branchname>]
DESCRIPTION
If --list is given, or if there are no non-option arguments, existing
branches are listed; the current branch will be highlighted in green and
marked with an asterisk. Any branches checked out in linked worktrees will
be highlighted in cyan and marked with a plus sign. Option -r causes the
remote-tracking branches to be listed,
and option -a shows both local and remote branches.
If a <pattern>
is given, it is used as a shell wildcard to restrict the output to
matching branches. If multiple patterns are given, a branch is shown if
it matches any of the patterns.
Note that when providing a
<pattern>, you must use --list; otherwise the command may be interpreted
as branch creation.
With --contains, shows only the branches that contain the named commit
(in other words, the branches whose tip commits are descendants of the
named commit), --no-contains inverts it. With --merged, only branches
merged into the named commit (i.e. the branches whose tip commits are
reachable from the named commit) will be listed. With --no-merged only
branches not merged into the named commit will be listed. If the <commit>
argument is missing it defaults to HEAD (i.e. the tip of the current
branch).
The command’s second form creates a new branch head named <branchname>
which points to the current HEAD, or <start-point> if given. As a
special case, for <start-point>, you may use "A...B" as a shortcut for
the merge base of A and B if there is exactly one merge base. You
can leave out at most one of A and B, in which case it defaults to
HEAD.
Note that this will create the new branch, but it will not switch the working tree to it; use "git switch <newbranch>" to switch to the new branch.
When a local branch is started off a remote-tracking branch, Git sets up the
branch (specifically the branch.<name>.remote and branch.<name>.merge
configuration entries) so that git pull will appropriately merge from
the remote-tracking branch. This behavior may be changed via the global
branch.autoSetupMerge configuration flag. That setting can be
overridden by using the --track and --no-track options, and
changed later using git branch --set-upstream-to.
With a -m or -M option, <oldbranch> will be renamed to <newbranch>.
If <oldbranch> had a corresponding reflog, it is renamed to match
<newbranch>, and a reflog entry is created to remember the branch
renaming. If <newbranch> exists, -M must be used to force the rename
to happen.
The -c and -C options have the exact same semantics as -m and
-M, except instead of the branch being renamed, it will be copied to a
new name, along with its config and reflog.
With a -d or -D option, <branchname> will be deleted. You may
specify more than one branch for deletion. If the branch currently
has a reflog then the reflog will also be deleted.
Use -r together with -d to delete remote-tracking branches. Note, that it
only makes sense to delete remote-tracking branches if they no longer exist
in the remote repository or if git fetch was configured not to fetch
them again. See also the prune subcommand of git-remote(1) for a
way to clean up all obsolete remote-tracking branches.
OPTIONS
- -d
- --delete
-
Delete a branch. The branch must be fully merged in its upstream branch, or in
HEADif no upstream was set with--trackor--set-upstream-to. - -D
-
Shortcut for
--delete --force. - --create-reflog
-
Create the branch’s reflog. This activates recording of all changes made to the branch ref, enabling use of date based sha1 expressions such as "<branchname>@{yesterday}". Note that in non-bare repositories, reflogs are usually enabled by default by the
core.logAllRefUpdatesconfig option. The negated form--no-create-reflogonly overrides an earlier--create-reflog, but currently does not negate the setting ofcore.logAllRefUpdates. - -f
- --force
-
Reset <branchname> to <start-point>, even if <branchname> exists already. Without
-f, git branch refuses to change an existing branch. In combination with-d(or--delete), allow deleting the branch irrespective of its merged status, or whether it even points to a valid commit. In combination with-m(or--move), allow renaming the branch even if the new branch name already exists, the same applies for-c(or--copy).Note that git branch -f <branchname> [<start-point>], even with -f, refuses to change an existing branch
<branchname>that is checked out in another worktree linked to the same repository. - -m
- --move
-
Move/rename a branch, together with its config and reflog.
- -M
-
Shortcut for
--move --force. - -c
- --copy
-
Copy a branch, together with its config and reflog.
- -C
-
Shortcut for
--copy --force. - --color[=<when>]
-
Color branches to highlight current, local, and remote-tracking branches. The value must be always (the default), never, or auto.
- --no-color
-
Turn off branch colors, even when the configuration file gives the default to color output. Same as
--color=never. - -i
- --ignore-case
-
Sorting and filtering branches are case insensitive.
- --omit-empty
-
Do not print a newline after formatted refs where the format expands to the empty string.
- --column[=<options>]
- --no-column
-
Display branch listing in columns. See configuration variable
column.branchfor option syntax.--columnand--no-columnwithout options are equivalent to always and never respectively.This option is only applicable in non-verbose mode.
- -r
- --remotes
-
List or delete (if used with -d) the remote-tracking branches. Combine with
--listto match the optional pattern(s). - -a
- --all
-
List both remote-tracking branches and local branches. Combine with
--listto match optional pattern(s). - -l
- --list
-
List branches. With optional
<pattern>..., e.g.git branch --list 'maint-*', list only the branches that match the pattern(s). - --show-current
-
Print the name of the current branch. In detached HEAD state, nothing is printed.
- -v
- -vv
- --verbose
-
When in list mode, show sha1 and commit subject line for each head, along with relationship to upstream branch (if any). If given twice, print the path of the linked worktree (if any) and the name of the upstream branch, as well (see also
git remote show <remote>). Note that the current worktree’s HEAD will not have its path printed (it will always be your current directory). - -q
- --quiet
-
Be more quiet when creating or deleting a branch, suppressing non-error messages.
- --abbrev=<n>
-
In the verbose listing that show the commit object name, show the shortest prefix that is at least <n> hexdigits long that uniquely refers the object. The default value is 7 and can be overridden by the
core.abbrevconfig option. - --no-abbrev
-
Display the full sha1s in the output listing rather than abbreviating them.
- -t
- --track[=(direct|inherit)]
-
When creating a new branch, set up
branch.<name>.remoteandbranch.<name>.mergeconfiguration entries to set "upstream" tracking configuration for the new branch. This configuration will tell git to show the relationship between the two branches ingit statusandgit branch -v. Furthermore, it directsgit pullwithout arguments to pull from the upstream when the new branch is checked out.The exact upstream branch is chosen depending on the optional argument:
-t,--track, or--track=directmeans to use the start-point branch itself as the upstream;--track=inheritmeans to copy the upstream configuration of the start-point branch.The branch.autoSetupMerge configuration variable specifies how
git switch,git checkoutandgit branchshould behave when neither--tracknor--no-trackare specified:The default option,
true, behaves as though--track=directwere given whenever the start-point is a remote-tracking branch.falsebehaves as if--no-trackwere given.alwaysbehaves as though--track=directwere given.inheritbehaves as though--track=inheritwere given.simplebehaves as though--track=directwere given only when the start-point is a remote-tracking branch and the new branch has the same name as the remote branch.See git-pull(1) and git-config(1) for additional discussion on how the
branch.<name>.remoteandbranch.<name>.mergeoptions are used. - --no-track
-
Do not set up "upstream" configuration, even if the branch.autoSetupMerge configuration variable is set.
- --recurse-submodules
-
THIS OPTION IS EXPERIMENTAL! Causes the current command to recurse into submodules if
submodule.propagateBranchesis enabled. Seesubmodule.propagateBranchesin git-config(1). Currently, only branch creation is supported.When used in branch creation, a new branch <branchname> will be created in the superproject and all of the submodules in the superproject’s <start-point>. In submodules, the branch will point to the submodule commit in the superproject’s <start-point> but the branch’s tracking information will be set up based on the submodule’s branches and remotes e.g.
git branch --recurse-submodules topic origin/mainwill create the submodule branch "topic" that points to the submodule commit in the superproject’s "origin/main", but tracks the submodule’s "origin/main". - --set-upstream
-
As this option had confusing syntax, it is no longer supported. Please use
--trackor--set-upstream-toinstead. - -u <upstream>
- --set-upstream-to=<upstream>
-
Set up <branchname>'s tracking information so <upstream> is considered <branchname>'s upstream branch. If no <branchname> is specified, then it defaults to the current branch.
- --unset-upstream
-
Remove the upstream information for <branchname>. If no branch is specified it defaults to the current branch.
- --edit-description
-
Open an editor and edit the text to explain what the branch is for, to be used by various other commands (e.g.
format-patch,request-pull, andmerge(if enabled)). Multi-line explanations may be used. - --contains [<commit>]
-
Only list branches which contain the specified commit (HEAD if not specified). Implies
--list. - --no-contains [<commit>]
-
Only list branches which don’t contain the specified commit (HEAD if not specified). Implies
--list. - --merged [<commit>]
-
Only list branches whose tips are reachable from the specified commit (HEAD if not specified). Implies
--list. - --no-merged [<commit>]
-
Only list branches whose tips are not reachable from the specified commit (HEAD if not specified). Implies
--list. - <branchname>
-
The name of the branch to create or delete. The new branch name must pass all checks defined by git-check-ref-format(1). Some of these checks may restrict the characters allowed in a branch name.
- <start-point>
-
The new branch head will point to this commit. It may be given as a branch name, a commit-id, or a tag. If this option is omitted, the current HEAD will be used instead.
- <oldbranch>
-
The name of an existing branch to rename.
- <newbranch>
-
The new name for an existing branch. The same restrictions as for <branchname> apply.
- --sort=<key>
-
Sort based on the key given. Prefix
-to sort in descending order of the value. You may use the --sort=<key> option multiple times, in which case the last key becomes the primary key. The keys supported are the same as those ingit for-each-ref. Sort order defaults to the value configured for thebranch.sortvariable if it exists, or to sorting based on the full refname (includingrefs/...prefix). This lists detached HEAD (if present) first, then local branches and finally remote-tracking branches. See git-config(1). - --points-at <object>
-
Only list branches of the given object.
- --format <format>
-
A string that interpolates
%(fieldname)from a branch ref being shown and the object it points at. The format is the same as that of git-for-each-ref(1).
CONFIGURATION
pager.branch is only respected when listing branches, i.e., when
--list is used or implied. The default is to use a pager.
See git-config(1).
Everything above this line in this section isn’t included from the git-config(1) documentation. The content that follows is the same as what’s found there:
- branch.autoSetupMerge
-
Tells git branch, git switch and git checkout to set up new branches so that git-pull(1) will appropriately merge from the starting point branch. Note that even if this option is not set, this behavior can be chosen per-branch using the
--trackand--no-trackoptions. The valid settings are:false— no automatic setup is done;true— automatic setup is done when the starting point is a remote-tracking branch;always— automatic setup is done when the starting point is either a local branch or remote-tracking branch;inherit— if the starting point has a tracking configuration, it is copied to the new branch;simple— automatic setup is done only when the starting point is a remote-tracking branch and the new branch has the same name as the remote branch. This option defaults to true. - branch.autoSetupRebase
-
When a new branch is created with git branch, git switch or git checkout that tracks another branch, this variable tells Git to set up pull to rebase instead of merge (see "branch.<name>.rebase"). When
never, rebase is never automatically set to true. Whenlocal, rebase is set to true for tracked branches of other local branches. Whenremote, rebase is set to true for tracked branches of remote-tracking branches. Whenalways, rebase will be set to true for all tracking branches. See "branch.autoSetupMerge" for details on how to set up a branch to track another branch. This option defaults to never. - branch.sort
-
This variable controls the sort ordering of branches when displayed by git-branch(1). Without the "--sort=<value>" option provided, the value of this variable will be used as the default. See git-for-each-ref(1) field names for valid values.
- branch.<name>.remote
-
When on branch <name>, it tells git fetch and git push which remote to fetch from or push to. The remote to push to may be overridden with
remote.pushDefault(for all branches). The remote to push to, for the current branch, may be further overridden bybranch.<name>.pushRemote. If no remote is configured, or if you are not on any branch and there is more than one remote defined in the repository, it defaults tooriginfor fetching andremote.pushDefaultfor pushing. Additionally,.(a period) is the current local repository (a dot-repository), seebranch.<name>.merge's final note below. - branch.<name>.pushRemote
-
When on branch <name>, it overrides
branch.<name>.remotefor pushing. It also overridesremote.pushDefaultfor pushing from branch <name>. When you pull from one place (e.g. your upstream) and push to another place (e.g. your own publishing repository), you would want to setremote.pushDefaultto specify the remote to push to for all branches, and use this option to override it for a specific branch. - branch.<name>.merge
-
Defines, together with branch.<name>.remote, the upstream branch for the given branch. It tells git fetch/git pull/git rebase which branch to merge and can also affect git push (see push.default). When in branch <name>, it tells git fetch the default refspec to be marked for merging in FETCH_HEAD. The value is handled like the remote part of a refspec, and must match a ref which is fetched from the remote given by "branch.<name>.remote". The merge information is used by git pull (which first calls git fetch) to lookup the default branch for merging. Without this option, git pull defaults to merge the first refspec fetched. Specify multiple values to get an octopus merge. If you wish to setup git pull so that it merges into <name> from another branch in the local repository, you can point branch.<name>.merge to the desired branch, and use the relative path setting
.(a period) for branch.<name>.remote. - branch.<name>.mergeOptions
-
Sets default options for merging into branch <name>. The syntax and supported options are the same as those of git-merge(1), but option values containing whitespace characters are currently not supported.
- branch.<name>.rebase
-
When true, rebase the branch <name> on top of the fetched branch, instead of merging the default branch from the default remote when "git pull" is run. See "pull.rebase" for doing this in a non branch-specific manner.
When
merges(or just m), pass the--rebase-mergesoption to git rebase so that the local merge commits are included in the rebase (see git-rebase(1) for details).When the value is
interactive(or just i), the rebase is run in interactive mode.NOTE: this is a possibly dangerous operation; do not use it unless you understand the implications (see git-rebase(1) for details).
- branch.<name>.description
-
Branch description, can be edited with
git branch --edit-description. Branch description is automatically added to the format-patch cover letter or request-pull summary.
EXAMPLES
- Start development from a known tag
-
$ git clone git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/.../linux-2.6 my2.6 $ cd my2.6 $ git branch my2.6.14 v2.6.14 <1> $ git switch my2.6.14-
This step and the next one could be combined into a single step with "checkout -b my2.6.14 v2.6.14".
-
- Delete an unneeded branch
-
$ git clone git://git.kernel.org/.../git.git my.git $ cd my.git $ git branch -d -r origin/todo origin/html origin/man <1> $ git branch -D test <2>-
Delete the remote-tracking branches "todo", "html" and "man". The next fetch or pull will create them again unless you configure them not to. See git-fetch(1).
-
Delete the "test" branch even if the "master" branch (or whichever branch is currently checked out) does not have all commits from the test branch.
-
- Listing branches from a specific remote
-
$ git branch -r -l '<remote>/<pattern>' <1> $ git for-each-ref 'refs/remotes/<remote>/<pattern>' <2>-
Using
-awould conflate <remote> with any local branches you happen to have been prefixed with the same <remote> pattern. -
for-each-refcan take a wide range of options. See git-for-each-ref(1)
-
Patterns will normally need quoting.
NOTES
If you are creating a branch that you want to switch to immediately,
it is easier to use the "git switch" command with its -c option to
do the same thing with a single command.
The options --contains, --no-contains, --merged and --no-merged
serve four related but different purposes:
-
--contains <commit>is used to find all branches which will need special attention if <commit> were to be rebased or amended, since those branches contain the specified <commit>. -
--no-contains <commit>is the inverse of that, i.e. branches that don’t contain the specified <commit>. -
--mergedis used to find all branches which can be safely deleted, since those branches are fully contained by HEAD. -
--no-mergedis used to find branches which are candidates for merging into HEAD, since those branches are not fully contained by HEAD.
When combining multiple --contains and --no-contains filters, only
references that contain at least one of the --contains commits and
contain none of the --no-contains commits are shown.
When combining multiple --merged and --no-merged filters, only
references that are reachable from at least one of the --merged
commits and from none of the --no-merged commits are shown.
SEE ALSO
git-check-ref-format(1), git-fetch(1), git-remote(1), “Understanding history: What is a branch?” in the Git User’s Manual.
GIT
Part of the git(1) suite