Git Switch Command Usage and Examples

(default), `diff3`, and `zdiff3`. `-q`:: `--quiet`:: Quiet, suppress feedback messages. `--progress`:: `--no-progress`:: Progress status is reported on the standard error stream by default when it is attached to a terminal, unless `--quiet` is specified. This flag enables progress reporting even if not attached to a terminal, regardless of `--quiet`. `-t`:: `--track[ (direct|inherit)]`:: When creating a new branch, set up "upstream" configuration. `-c` is implied. See `--track` in linkgit:git-branch[1] for details. + If no `-c` option is given, the name of the new branch will be derived from the remote-tracking branch, by looking at the local part of the refspec configured for the corresponding remote, and then stripping the initial part up to the "*". This would tell us to use `hack` as the local branch when branching off of `origin/hack` (or `remotes/origin/hack`, or even `refs/remotes/origin/hack`). If the given name has no slash, or the above guessing results in an empty name, the guessing is aborted. You can explicitly give a name with `-c` in such a case. `--no-track`:: Do not set up "upstream" configuration, even if the `branch.autoSetupMerge` configuration variable is true. `--orphan <new-branch>`:: Create a new unborn branch, named _<new-branch>_. All tracked files are removed. `--ignore-other-worktrees`:: `git switch` refuses when the wanted ref is already checked out by another worktree. This option makes it check the ref out anyway. In other words, the ref can be held by more than one worktree. `--recurse-submodules`:: `--no-recurse-submodules`:: Using `--recurse-submodules` will update the content of all active submodules according to the commit recorded in the superproject. If nothing (or `--no-recurse-submodules`) is used, submodules working trees will not be updated. Just like linkgit:git-submodule[1], this will detach `HEAD` of the submodules. EXAMPLES -------- The following command switches to the "master" branch: ------------ $ git switch master ------------ After working in the wrong branch, switching to the correct branch would be done using: ------------ $ git switch mytopic ------------ However, your "wrong" branch and correct "mytopic" branch may differ in files that you have modified locally, in which case the above switch would fail like this: ------------ $ git switch mytopic error: You have local changes to 'frotz'; not switching branches. ------------ You can give the `-m` flag to the command, which would try a three-way merge: ------------ $ git switch -m mytopic Auto-merging frotz ------------ After this three-way merge, the local modifications are _not_ registered in your index file, so `git diff` would show you what changes you made since the tip of the new branch. To switch back to the previous branch before we switched to mytopic (i.e. "master" branch): ------------ $ git switch - ------------ You can grow a new branch from any commit. For example, switch to "`HEAD~3`" and create branch "`fixup`": ------------ $ git switch -c fixup HEAD~3 Switched to a new branch 'fixup' ------------ If you want to start a new branch from a remote branch of the same name: ------------ $ git switch new-topic Branch `new-topic` set up to track remote branch `new-topic` from `origin` Switched to a new branch `new-topic` ------------ To check out commit `HEAD~3` for temporary inspection or experiment without creating a new branch: ------------ $ git switch --detach HEAD~3 HEAD is now at 9fc9555312 Merge branch 'cc/shared-index-permbits' ------------ If it turns out whatever you have done is worth keeping, you can always create a new name for it (without switching away): ------------ $ git switch -c good-surprises ------------ CONFIGURATION ------------- include::includes/cmd-config-section-all.adoc[] include::config/checkout.adoc[] SEE ALSO -------- linkgit:git-checkout[1], linkgit:git-branch[1] GIT --- Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite

The git-switch command is used to switch between branches, with options to handle local changes, track remote branches, and resolve merge conflicts, including examples of switching to a new branch, creating a new branch, and checking out a specific commit for temporary inspection.