Branch

What a branch means

A branch is a named line of work inside the same repository. The main branch usually holds the stable project history, while another branch can hold a draft, experiment, fix, or collaborator-specific task.

Working on a branch does not create a separate repository. It creates a separate pointer to a commit history, so you can make commits without immediately changing the main line.

Branches are useful when:

• two people need to work at the same time
• one change may take several commits
• you want to test an idea before merging it into the main work

Create a branch

Open a new terminal with Ctrl + Shift + ` on Windows or Cmd + Shift + ` on macOS. Then enter the following command:

Create a branch before starting work that should stay separate from main.

git branch draft-section
git switch draft-section

You can also create and switch to a new branch in one command:

git switch -c draft-section

Use a short branch name that describes the task, such as fix-conflict-notes, revise-introduction, or add-results-table.

List branches

To see the local branches in the repository, run:

git branch

The branch you are currently using appears with * beside it.

To see both local branches and remote branches from GitHub, run:

git branch -a

This is useful when you are not sure whether a branch exists only on your computer or also exists on GitHub.

Switch branches

Switching branches means changing which line of work is currently checked out in your folder. After switching, the files in VS Code update to match the selected branch.

git switch main
git switch draft-section

Before switching branches, commit or stash your current changes. Git may stop the switch if your uncommitted changes would be overwritten.

When you switch branches, you are not deleting work. You are changing the active context: which commits your folder is showing, and where the next commit will be added.

Remove branches

Remove a branch when the separate line of work is finished, merged, or no longer needed.

You cannot delete the branch you are currently using. First, switch to the branch you want to keep:

git switch main

Then delete the local branch:

git branch -d draft-section

The -d option is the safer choice because Git will stop you if the branch has commits that have not been merged. If you are sure the branch should be discarded, you can force the deletion:

git branch -D draft-section

If the branch was already pushed to GitHub, delete the remote branch separately:

git push origin --delete draft-section

Use branches for work that should stay isolated until it is ready to share. Before merging or deleting a branch, make sure the important commits have been pushed or merged into the branch you want to keep.