Git checkout another branch

git branch git-checkout

128,289

Solution 1

mygithub/master is a remote branch. To create a local branch based off of that remote branch, you have to use git checkout -b mymaster mygithub/master. Git tries to make this easy for you: if you write git checkout branchname, and branchname only exists in a remote, but not locally, Git will automatically set up a local branch with <remote>/branchname being its parent.

Solution 2

If you want to switch to another branch then run this command:

git checkout branch name

If you want to delete a branch then run this command:

git branch -D branch name

If you want to create a new branch then run this command:

git checkout -b branch

128,289

NoBugs

Updated on October 07, 2020

Comments

NoBugs over 3 years
I run:
```
 git checkout mygithub/master
```
but for some reason, running 'git status' shows "not currently on any branch". Running:
```
 git checkout master
```
and then git status, says that I'm now on branch master. Now I want to switch to another branch. Running git checkout anotherbranch works, but git status says I am still on branch 'master'. What am I doing wrong?
- poke almost 12 years
  
  Does git checkout anotherbranch produce any output?
- NoBugs almost 12 years
  
  It shows no output, no error.
NoBugs almost 12 years

So why does git checkout branchname never switch to this? Branch exists on github, I just want to merge master changes to it.
knittl almost 12 years

@NoBugs: git checkout -b remotemaster mygithub/master should create a new branch off mygithub/master and switch to it.
NoBugs almost 12 years

git checkout -b otherbranch mygithub/otherbranch works, but git merge mygithub/master wants to 'fast forward' and delete files from the non-master, that I want to keep.
knittl almost 12 years

@NoBugs: Do you want to merge mygithub/master into master, or do you want to merge master into mygithub/master? A 'fast forward' is just a special case of a merge.
NoBugs almost 12 years

Creating a new branch helped, unfortunately it was unable to push back to the original branch. error: src refspec otherbranch does not match any.
knittl almost 12 years

@NoBugs: The branch must have an upstream branch configured or a remote branch with the same name. If this isn't the case, you can always be explicit about which branch to push: git push origin localbranch:remotebranch (I assume in your case that's git push mygithub otherbranch:otherbranch)
ahoffer over 5 years

This will create a new branch. Reading the question, I do not think the poster wants to create a new branch.