# git-branch

## NAME



           git-branch - List, create, or delete branches
    


## 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**] _< branch-name>_ [_< start-point>_]
           **git branch**(**--set-upstream-to=**_< upstream>_|**-u** _< upstream>_) [_< branch-name>_]
           **git branch --unset-upstream**[_< branch-name>_]
           **git branch**(**-m** |**-M**) [_< old-branch>_] _< new-branch>_
           **git branch**(**-c** |**-C**) [_< old-branch>_] _< new-branch>_
           **git branch**(**-d** |**-D**) [**-r**] _< branch-name>_...
           **git branch --edit-description**[_< branch-name>_]
    


## 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
           _< branch-name>_ which points to the current **HEAD** , or _< start-point>_
           if given. As a special case, for _< start-point>_, you may use
           _< rev-A>_**...**_< rev-B>_ as a shortcut for the merge base of _< rev-A>_ and
           _< rev-B>_ if there is exactly one merge base. You can leave out at
           most one of _< rev-A>_ and _< rev-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** _< new-branch>_ 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, _< old-branch>_ will be renamed to
           _< new-branch>_. If _< old-branch>_ had a corresponding reflog, it is
           renamed to match _< new-branch>_, and a reflog entry is created to
           remember the branch renaming. If _< new-branch>_ 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, _< branch-name>_ 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 **HEAD** if no upstream was set with
               **--track** or **--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 _< branch-name>_**@**{yesterday}. Note that
               in non-bare repositories, reflogs are usually enabled by
               default by the **core.logAllRefUpdates** config option. The
               negated form **--no-create-reflog** only overrides an earlier
               **--create-reflog** , but currently does not negate the setting of
               **core.logAllRefUpdates**.
    
           **-f** , **--force**
               Reset _< branch-name>_ to _< start-point>_, even if _< branch-name>_
               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** _< branch-name>_ [_< start-point>_], even
               with **-f** , refuses to change an existing branch _< branch-name>_
               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.branch** for option syntax.  **--column** and **--no-column**
               without options are equivalent to **always** and **never**
               respectively.
    
               This option is only applicable in non-verbose mode.
    
           **--sort=**_< key>_
               Sort based on _< key>_. 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 in git-for-each-ref(1). Sort
               order defaults to the value configured for the **branch.sort**
               variable if it exists, or to sorting based on the full refname
               (including **refs/.**.. prefix). This lists detached **HEAD**(if
               present) first, then local branches and finally
               remote-tracking branches. See git-config(1).
    
           **-r** , **--remotes**
               List or delete (if used with **-d**) the remote-tracking branches.
               Combine with **--list** to match the optional pattern(s).
    
           **-a** , **--all**
               List both remote-tracking branches and local branches. Combine
               with **--list** to 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.abbrev** config 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>_**.remote** and
               **branch.**_< name>_**.merge** configuration entries to set "upstream"
               tracking configuration for the new branch. This configuration
               will tell git to show the relationship between the two
               branches in **git status** and **git branch -v**. Furthermore, it
               directs **git pull** without 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=direct** means to use the
               start-point branch itself as the upstream; **--track=inherit**
               means to copy the upstream configuration of the start-point
               branch.
    
               The **branch.autoSetupMerge** configuration variable specifies how
               **git switch** , **git checkout** and **git branch** should behave when
               neither **--track** nor **--no-track** are specified:
    
               The default option, **true** , behaves as though **--track=direct**
               were given whenever the start-point is a remote-tracking
               branch.  **false** behaves as if **--no-track** were given.  **always**
               behaves as though **--track=direct** were given.  **inherit** behaves
               as though **--track=inherit** were given.  **simple** behaves as
               though **--track=direct** were 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>_**.remote** and **branch.**_< name>_**.merge** options
               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! Cause the current command to
               recurse into submodules if **submodule.propagateBranches** is
               enabled. See **submodule.propagateBranches** in git-config(1).
               Currently, only branch creation is supported.
    
               When used in branch creation, a new branch _< branch-name>_ 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/main** will 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 **--track** or **--set-upstream-to** instead.
    
           **-u** _< upstream>_, **--set-upstream-to=**_< upstream>_
               Set up _< branch-name>_'s tracking information so _< upstream>_ is
               considered _< branch-name>_'s upstream branch. If no
               _< branch-name>_ is specified, then it defaults to the current
               branch.
    
           **--unset-upstream**
               Remove the upstream information for _< branch-name>_. 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** , and **merge**(if enabled)). Multi-line explanations
               may be used.
    
           **--contains**[_< commit>_]
               Only list branches which contain _< commit>_ (**HEAD** if not
               specified). Implies **--list**.
    
           **--no-contains**[_< commit>_]
               Only list branches which don’t contain _< commit>_ (**HEAD** if not
               specified). Implies **--list**.
    
           **--merged**[_< commit>_]
               Only list branches whose tips are reachable from _< commit>_
               (**HEAD** if not specified). Implies **--list**.
    
           **--no-merged**[_< commit>_]
               Only list branches whose tips are not reachable from _< commit>_
               (**HEAD** if not specified). Implies **--list**.
    
           **--points-at** _< object>_
               Only list branches of _< object>_.
    
           **--format** _< format>_
               A string that interpolates **%**(**fieldname**) from a branch ref
               being shown and the object it points at.  _< format>_ is the same
               as that of git-for-each-ref(1).
    
           _< branch-name>_
               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.
    
           _< old-branch>_
               The name of an existing branch. If this option is omitted, the
               name of the current branch will be used instead.
    
           _< new-branch>_
               The new name for an existing branch. The same restrictions as
               for _< branch-name>_ apply.
    


## 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 **--track**
               and **--no-track** options. This option defaults to **true**. 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.
    
           **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**). The valid settings are:
    
               **never**
                   rebase is never automatically set to true.
    
               **local**
                   rebase is set to true for tracked branches of other local
                   branches.
    
               **remote**
                   rebase is set to true for tracked branches of
                   remote-tracking branches.
    
               **always**
                   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 by **branch.**_< 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 to
               **origin** for fetching and **remote.pushDefault** for pushing.
               Additionally, . (a period) is the current local repository (a
               dot-repository), see **branch.**_< name>_**.merge** 's final note below.
    
           **branch.**_< name>_**.pushRemote**
               When on branch _< name>_, it overrides **branch.**_< name>_**.remote** for
               pushing. It also overrides **remote.pushDefault** for 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 set **remote.pushDefault** to
               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-merges** option 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
    
                **1.** 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)**
    
                **1.** Delete the remote-tracking branches "todo", "html" and
                   "man". The next **git fetch** or **git pull** will create them
                   again unless you configure them not to. See
                   git-fetch(1).
                **2.** 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)**
    
                **1.** Using **-a** would conflate _< remote>_ with any local
                   branches you happen to have been prefixed with the same
                   _< remote>_ pattern.
                **2. for-each-ref** can 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>_.
    
           •   **--merged** is used to find all branches which can be safely
               deleted, since those branches are fully contained by **HEAD**.
    
           •   **--no-merged** is 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.
    


## GIT



           Part of the git(1) suite
    


## NOTES



            1. "Understanding history: What is a branch?"
               file:///home/mtk/share/doc/git-doc/user-manual.html#what-is-a-branch
    


* * *