1GIT-BRANCH(1) Git Manual GIT-BRANCH(1)
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6 git-branch - List, create, or delete branches
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9 git branch [--color[=<when>] | --no-color] [-r | -a]
10 [-v [--abbrev=<length> | --no-abbrev]]
11 [(--merged | --no-merged | --contains) [<commit>]]
12 git branch [--set-upstream | --track | --no-track] [-l] [-f] <branchname> [<start-point>]
13 git branch (-m | -M) [<oldbranch>] <newbranch>
14 git branch (-d | -D) [-r] <branchname>...
15
18 With no arguments, existing branches are listed and the current branch
19 will be highlighted with an asterisk. Option -r causes the
20 remote-tracking branches to be listed, and option -a shows both.
21 With --contains, shows only the branches that contain the named commit
23 (in other words, the branches whose tip commits are descendants of the
24 named commit). With --merged, only branches merged into the named
25 commit (i.e. the branches whose tip commits are reachable from the
26 named commit) will be listed. With --no-merged only branches not merged
27 into the named commit will be listed. If the <commit> argument is
28 missing it defaults to HEAD (i.e. the tip of the current branch).
29 The command’s second form creates a new branch head named <branchname>
31 which points to the current HEAD, or <start-point> if given.
32 Note that this will create the new branch, but it will not switch the
34 working tree to it; use "git checkout <newbranch>" to switch to the new
35 branch.
36 When a local branch is started off a remote-tracking branch, git sets
38 up the branch so that git pull will appropriately merge from the
39 remote-tracking branch. This behavior may be changed via the global
40 branch.autosetupmerge configuration flag. That setting can be
41 overridden by using the --track and --no-track options, and changed
42 later using git branch --set-upstream.
43 With a -m or -M option, <oldbranch> will be renamed to <newbranch>. If
45 <oldbranch> had a corresponding reflog, it is renamed to match
46 <newbranch>, and a reflog entry is created to remember the branch
47 renaming. If <newbranch> exists, -M must be used to force the rename to
48 happen.
49 With a -d or -D option, <branchname> will be deleted. You may specify
51 more than one branch for deletion. If the branch currently has a reflog
52 then the reflog will also be deleted.
53 Use -r together with -d to delete remote-tracking branches. Note, that
55 it only makes sense to delete remote-tracking branches if they no
56 longer exist in the remote repository or if git fetch was configured
57 not to fetch them again. See also the prune subcommand of git-remote(1)
58 for a way to clean up all obsolete remote-tracking branches.
59
61 -d
62 Delete a branch. The branch must be fully merged in its upstream
63 branch, or in HEAD if no upstream was set with --track or
64 --set-upstream.
65 -D
67 Delete a branch irrespective of its merged status.
68 -l
70 Create the branch’s reflog. This activates recording of all changes
71 made to the branch ref, enabling use of date based sha1 expressions
72 such as "<branchname>@{yesterday}". Note that in non-bare
73 repositories, reflogs are usually enabled by default by the
74 core.logallrefupdates config option.
75 -f, --force
77 Reset <branchname> to <startpoint> if <branchname> exists already.
78 Without -f git branch refuses to change an existing branch.
79 -m
81 Move/rename a branch and the corresponding reflog.
82 -M
84 Move/rename a branch even if the new branch name already exists.
85 --color[=<when>]
87 Color branches to highlight current, local, and remote-tracking
88 branches. The value must be always (the default), never, or auto.
89 --no-color
91 Turn off branch colors, even when the configuration file gives the
92 default to color output. Same as --color=never.
93 -r
95 List or delete (if used with -d) the remote-tracking branches.
96 -a
98 List both remote-tracking branches and local branches.
99 -v, --verbose
101 Show sha1 and commit subject line for each head, along with
102 relationship to upstream branch (if any). If given twice, print the
103 name of the upstream branch, as well.
104 --abbrev=<length>
106 Alter the sha1’s minimum display length in the output listing. The
107 default value is 7.
108 --no-abbrev
110 Display the full sha1s in the output listing rather than
111 abbreviating them.
112 -t, --track
114 When creating a new branch, set up configuration to mark the
115 start-point branch as "upstream" from the new branch. This
116 configuration will tell git to show the relationship between the
117 two branches in git status and git branch -v. Furthermore, it
118 directs git pull without arguments to pull from the upstream when
119 the new branch is checked out.
120 This behavior is the default when the start point is a
122 remote-tracking branch. Set the branch.autosetupmerge configuration
123 variable to false if you want git checkout and git branch to always
124 behave as if --no-track were given. Set it to always if you want
125 this behavior when the start-point is either a local or
126 remote-tracking branch.
127 --no-track
129 Do not set up "upstream" configuration, even if the
130 branch.autosetupmerge configuration variable is true.
131 --set-upstream
133 If specified branch does not exist yet or if --force has been
134 given, acts exactly like --track. Otherwise sets up configuration
135 like --track would when creating the branch, except that where
136 branch points to is not changed.
137 --contains <commit>
139 Only list branches which contain the specified commit.
140 --merged [<commit>]
142 Only list branches whose tips are reachable from the specified
143 commit (HEAD if not specified).
144 --no-merged [<commit>]
146 Only list branches whose tips are not reachable from the specified
147 commit (HEAD if not specified).
148 <branchname>
150 The name of the branch to create or delete. The new branch name
151 must pass all checks defined by git-check-ref-format(1). Some of
152 these checks may restrict the characters allowed in a branch name.
153 <start-point>
155 The new branch head will point to this commit. It may be given as a
156 branch name, a commit-id, or a tag. If this option is omitted, the
157 current HEAD will be used instead.
158 <oldbranch>
160 The name of an existing branch to rename.
161 <newbranch>
163 The new name for an existing branch. The same restrictions as for
164 <branchname> apply.
165
167 Start development from a known tag
168 $ git clone git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/.../linux-2.6 my2.6
170 $ cd my2.6
171 $ git branch my2.6.14 v2.6.14 [1m(1)
172 $ git checkout my2.6.14
173 1. This step and the next one could be combined into a single step
175 with "checkout -b my2.6.14 v2.6.14".
176 Delete an unneeded branch
178 $ git clone git://git.kernel.org/.../git.git my.git
180 $ cd my.git
181 $ git branch -d -r origin/todo origin/html origin/man [1m(1)
182 $ git branch -D test [1m(2)
183 1. Delete the remote-tracking branches "todo", "html" and "man".
185 The next fetch or pull will create them again unless you configure
186 them not to. See git-fetch(1).
187 2. Delete the "test" branch even if the "master" branch (or
188 whichever branch is currently checked out) does not have all
189 commits from the test branch.
190
192 If you are creating a branch that you want to checkout immediately, it
193 is easier to use the git checkout command with its -b option to create
194 a branch and check it out with a single command.
195 The options --contains, --merged and --no-merged serve three related
197 but different purposes:
198 · --contains <commit> is used to find all branches which will need
200 special attention if <commit> were to be rebased or amended, since
201 those branches contain the specified <commit>.
202 · --merged is used to find all branches which can be safely deleted,
204 since those branches are fully contained by HEAD.
205 · --no-merged is used to find branches which are candidates for
207 merging into HEAD, since those branches are not fully contained by
208 HEAD.
209
211 git-check-ref-format(1), git-fetch(1), git-remote(1), “Understanding
212 history: What is a branch?”[1] in the Git User’s Manual.
213
215 Written by Linus Torvalds <torvalds@osdl.org[2]> and Junio C Hamano
216 <gitster@pobox.com[3]>
217
219 Documentation by Junio C Hamano and the git-list
220 <git@vger.kernel.org[4]>.
221
223 Part of the git(1) suite
224
226 1. “Understanding history: What is a branch?”
227 file:///usr/share/doc/git-1.7.4.4/user-manual.html#what-is-a-branch
228 2. torvalds@osdl.org
230 mailto:torvalds@osdl.org
231 3. gitster@pobox.com
233 mailto:gitster@pobox.com
234 4. git@vger.kernel.org
236 mailto:git@vger.kernel.org
237Git 1.7.4.4 04/11/2011 GIT-BRANCH(1)