{"id":422871,"date":"2022-03-28T22:00:54","date_gmt":"2022-03-28T19:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/how-to-switch-branches-in-github\/"},"modified":"2022-03-28T22:00:54","modified_gmt":"2022-03-28T19:00:54","slug":"how-to-switch-branches-in-github","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-to-switch-branches-in-github\/","title":{"rendered":"#How to Switch Branches in GitHub"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a2d45f09dabe\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a2d45f09dabe\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-to-switch-branches-in-github\/#%E2%80%9CHow_to_Switch_Branches_in_GitHub%E2%80%9D\" >&#8220;How to Switch Branches in GitHub&#8221;<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-2' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-to-switch-branches-in-github\/#Switch_Branches_From_the_GitHub_Website\" >Switch Branches From the GitHub Website<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-to-switch-branches-in-github\/#Switch_Branches_Using_git_checkout\" >Switch Branches Using git checkout<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-to-switch-branches-in-github\/#Switch_Branches_Using_git_switch\" >Switch Branches Using git switch<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-to-switch-branches-in-github\/#_git_switch_vs_git_checkout\" >\u00a0git switch vs.\u00a0git checkout<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9CHow_to_Switch_Branches_in_GitHub%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>&#8220;How to Switch Branches in GitHub&#8221;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<div>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"type:primaryImage alignnone size-full wp-image-738302\" data-pagespeed-lazy-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/GitHub-hero.png?width=398&amp;trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1 400w, https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/GitHub-hero.png?width=1198&amp;trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, 400w, 1200w\" data-pagespeed-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/GitHub-hero.png?width=1198&amp;trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"GitHub hero\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"\/pagespeed_static\/1.JiBnMqyl6S.gif\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><\/p>\n<p>To ensure there\u2019s no downtime due to pushing problematic code straight to the main branch on GitHub, you should create a new branch and work there. Before you can actually work there, though, you\u2019ll need to switch to it.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Switch_Branches_From_the_GitHub_Website\"><\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" name=\"autotoc_anchor_0\">Switch Branches From the GitHub Website<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>To switch branches from the GitHub website, first launch your preferred browser, go to <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/github.com\">GitHub\u2019s official website<\/a>, log in to your account, and then select the repository your branch is in.<\/p>\n<p><strong>RELATED:<\/strong> <strong><em>How (and Why) to Create a GitHub Repository<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Once in the repository, you\u2019ll see a button next to the Branches and Tags options. Click this button to display a drop-down menu. In the \u201cBranches\u201d tab, select the desired branch from the list. Once selected, you\u2019ll then be in that branch.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-789274\" data-pagespeed-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Show-a-list-of-branches..png?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"Show a list of branches.\" width=\"602\" height=\"289\" src=\"\/pagespeed_static\/1.JiBnMqyl6S.gif\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><\/p>\n<p>This method is fine if you\u2019re going to make your changes to the branch on the website, but if you\u2019re working on your local machine, you\u2019ll want to use a <code>git<\/code> command.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Switch_Branches_Using_git_checkout\"><\/span>Switch Branches Using git checkout<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>If you\u2019re working locally, you can switch branches using a simple command. To get started, you\u2019ll need to open a command terminal of your choice (for example, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/682770\/how-to-open-the-terminal-on-a-mac\/\">Terminal on Mac, Windows Terminal, or the Linux terminal). Alternatively, you can use the command terminal in a text editor\u00a0that supports it, such as VSCode.<\/p>\n<p><strong>RELATED:<\/strong> <strong><em>How to Make Windows Terminal Your Default Terminal App<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Once in the terminal, you\u2019ll want to change directories to the location of the repository. This isn\u2019t a one-size-fits-all command, as everyone may have their repository stored in a different directory on their local machine.<\/p>\n<p>As an example, let\u2019s assume that we\u2019re in the top directory in the terminal, and our repo called <code>how-to-geek<\/code>\u00a0is located in the file path OneDrive &gt; Desktop &gt; _GIT. We\u2019d run this command:<\/p>\n<pre>cd OneDrive\\Desktop\\_GIT\\how-to-geek<\/pre>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-789276\" data-pagespeed-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Change-to-the-working-directory..png?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"Change to the working directory.\" width=\"561\" height=\"229\" src=\"\/pagespeed_static\/1.JiBnMqyl6S.gif\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><\/p>\n<p>You can now switch branches now that you\u2019re in the correct directory. To switch branches, run this command:<\/p>\n<pre>git checkout &lt;branch-name&gt;<\/pre>\n<p>So if your branch were named \u201ctest-branch\u201d then you would run:<\/p>\n<pre>git checkout test-branch<\/pre>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-789278\" data-pagespeed-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Run-the-command-to-switch-branches..png?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"Run the command to switch branches.\" width=\"500\" height=\"280\" src=\"\/pagespeed_static\/1.JiBnMqyl6S.gif\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><\/p>\n<p>You\u2019ve successfully switched branches.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Switch_Branches_Using_git_switch\"><\/span>Switch Branches Using git switch<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>You can also use the <code>git switch<\/code>\u00a0command to switch branches. First, open your desired terminal and <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/659411\/how-to-change-directories-in-command-prompt-on-windows-10\/\">change to the proper directory using the <code>cd<\/code>\u00a0command. Once in the proper directory, run this command:<\/p>\n<pre>git switch &lt;branch&gt;<\/pre>\n<p>So, if our branch name is <code>test-branch<\/code>\u00a0then we\u2019d run this command:<\/p>\n<pre>git switch test-branch<\/pre>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-789282\" data-pagespeed-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/The-newest-command-to-switch-branches..png?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"The newest command to switch branches.\" width=\"500\" height=\"356\" src=\"\/pagespeed_static\/1.JiBnMqyl6S.gif\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><\/p>\n<p>You\u2019ll now have successfully switched branches.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"_git_switch_vs_git_checkout\"><\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" name=\"autotoc_anchor_3\">\u00a0git switch vs.\u00a0git checkout<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>At first glance, <code>git checkout<\/code> and <code>git switch<\/code> may appear to do the same thing under different names. You\u2019re not far from wrong, but there\u00a0<em>is<\/em> a minor difference you should make note of. <code>git checkout<\/code> provides additional functionality than just switching branches, which is why developers created <code>git switch<\/code>\u2013to clear the confusion.<\/p>\n<p><code>git switch<\/code> only switches to a new branch. That\u2019s it. <code>git checkout<\/code>, however, does three things: it switches branches, but it also copies files from the stage and from a tree-ish to the working tree. If you\u2019re interested in learning more about this, Dan Fabulich from Redfin Engineering <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/redfin.engineering\/two-commits-that-wrecked-the-user-experience-of-git-f0075b77eab1\">gives a fantastic breakdown<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Working on separate branches (that\u2019s not the main branch) prevents production downtime from poor code being pushed to production. Testing your code in a child branch will save you a world of trouble. And once you merge your branch into the main branch, don\u2019t forget to delete it to keep the repository from being cluttered.<\/p>\n<p><strong>RELATED:<\/strong> <strong><em>How to Delete a Branch on GitHub<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script>\n setTimeout(function(){\n  !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)\n  {if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?\n  n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};\n  if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';\n  n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;\n  t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];\n  s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s) } (window, document,'script',\n  'https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');\n   fbq('init', '335401813750447');\n   fbq('track', 'PageView');\n  },3000);\n<\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. 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Before you can actually work there, though, you\u2019ll need to switch to it. Switch Branches From the GitHub Website To switch branches from&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":422872,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/GitHub-hero.png?height=200p&trim=2,2,2,2","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-422871","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/422871","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=422871"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/422871\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/422872"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=422871"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=422871"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=422871"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}