How do I rename a local Git branch?

I don't want to rename a remote branch, as described in Rename master branch for both local and remote Git repositories.

How can I rename a local branch which hasn't been pushed to a remote branch?

30 Answers
30

If you want to rename a branch while pointed to any branch, do:

git branch -m <oldname> <newname>


If you want to rename the current branch, you can do:

git branch -m <newname>


A way to remember this, is -m is for "move" (or mv), which is how you rename files.

-m

mv

git push -f --mirror

push.default

matching

git push origin <newname>:<oldname>

push.default

upstream

push origin head

mv

-m

--move

git branch --move master

git branch -m old_branch_name new_branch_name


The above command will change your branch name, but you have to be very careful using the renamed branch, because it will still refer to the old upstream branch associated with it, if any.

If you want to push some changes into master after your local branch is renamed into new_branch_name (example name):

git push origin new_branch_name:master (now changes will go to master branch but your local branch name is new_branch_name)

git push origin new_branch_name:master

For more details, see "How to rename your local branch name in Git."

To rename your current branch:

git branch -m <newname>


Here are the steps to rename the branch:

1. switch to branch which needs to be renamed
2. git branch -m <new_name>
3. git push origin :<old_name>
4. git push origin <new_name>:refs/heads/<new_name>


EDIT(12/01/2017) : Make sure you run command git status and check that newly created branch is pointing to its own ref and not older one. If you find the reference to older branch, you need to unset the upstream using:

git status

git branch --unset-upstream


Rename the branch will be useful once your branch is finished. Then new stuff is coming, and you want to develop in the same branch instead of deleting it and create the new one.

From my experience, to rename a local and remote branch in Git you should do the following steps.

Quoting from Multiple States - Rename a local and remote branch in
git

If you are on the branch you want to rename:

git branch -m new-name


If you are on a different branch:

git branch -m old-name new-name


git push origin :old-name new-name


git push origin -u new-name


error: dst ref refs/heads/<old-name> receives from more than one src.; error: failed to push some refs to 'git@uri:foo/bar.git'

git push origin :old-name new-name

The answers so far have been correct but here is some additional info:
One can rename a branch with '-m' (move), but one has to be careful, because '-M' forces the rename, even if there is an existing branch with the same name already. Here is the excerpt from the 'git-branch' man page:

With a -m or -M option, <oldbranch> will be renamed to <newbranch>. If <oldbranch> had a corresponding reflog, it is renamed to match <newbranch>, and a reflog entry is created to remember the branch renaming. If <newbranch> exists, -M must be used to force the rename to happen.

<oldbranch>

<newbranch>

<oldbranch>

<newbranch>

<newbranch>

-M

myBranch

MyBranch

-m

fatal: A branch named 'MyBranch' already exists.

If it is your current branch, just do

git branch -m new_name


If it is another branch you want to rename

git branch -m old_name new_name


- If your branch was pushed, then after renaming you need to delete it from the remote Git repository and ask your new local to track a new remote branch:

git push origin :old_name
git push --set-upstream origin new_name


I foolishly named a branch starting with a hyphen, and then checked out master. I didn't want to delete my branch, I had work in it.

Neither of these worked:

git checkout -dumb-name

git checkout -dumb-name

git checkout -- -dumb-name

git checkout -- -dumb-name

"s, 's and s didn't help either. git branch -m doesn't work.

"

'

git branch -m

Here's how I finally fixed it. Go into your working copy's .git/refs/heads, find the filename "-dumb-name", get the hash of the branch. Then this will check it out, make a new branch with a sane name, and delete the old one.

git checkout hash
git checkout -b brilliant-name
git branch -d -- -dumb-name


reflog

To rename a branch locally:

git branch -m [old-branch] [new-branch]


Now you'll have to propagate these changes on your remote server as well.

To push changes of the deleted old branch:

git push origin :[old-branch]


To push changes of creation of new branch:

git push origin [new-branch]


Rename the branch using this command:

git branch -m [old_branch_name] [new_branch_name]


-m: It renames/moves the branch. If there is already a branch, you will get an error.

-m

If there is already a branch and you want to rename with that branch, use:

git rename -M [old_branch_name] [new_branch_name]


For more information about help, use this command in the terminal:

git branch --help


or

man git branch


Advanced Git users can rename manually:

Rename the old branch under .git/refs/heads to the new name

Rename the old branch under .git/logs/refs/heads to the new name

Update the .git/HEAD to point to yout new branch name


Probably as mentioned by others, this will be a case mismatch in branch naming.

If you have such a situation, I can guess that you're on Windows which will also lead you to:

$ git branch -m CaseSensitive casesensitive
fatal: A branch named 'casesensitive' already exists.


Then you have to do an intermediate step:

$ git branch -m temporary
$ git branch -m casesensitive


Nothing more.

-M

-m

Here are three steps: A command that you can call inside your terminal and change branch name.

git branch -m old_branch new_branch # Rename branch locally
git push origin :old_branch # Delete the old branch
git push --set-upstream origin new_branch # Push the new branch, set local branch to track the new remote


If you need more: step-by-step, How To Change Git Branch Name is a good article about that.

Trying to answer specifically to the question (at least the title).

You can also rename local branch, but keeps tracking the old name on the remote.

git branch -m old_branch new_branch
git push --set-upstream origin new_branch:old_branch


Now, when you run git push, the remote old_branch ref is updated with your local new_branch.

git push

old_branch

new_branch

You have to know and remember this configuration. But it can be useful if you don't have the choice for the remote branch name, but you don't like it (oh, I mean, you've got a very good reason not to like it !) and prefer a clearer name for your local branch.

Playing with the fetch configuration, you can even rename the local remote-reference. i.e, having a refs/remote/origin/new_branch ref pointer to the branch, that is in fact the old_branch on origin. However, I highly discourage this, for the safety of your mind.

refs/remote/origin/new_branch

old_branch

origin

To rename current branch (except for detached HEAD state) you can also use this alias:

[alias]
mvh = !sh -c 'git branch -m `git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD` $1'


Another option is not to use the command line at all. Git GUI clients such as SourceTree take away much of the syntactical learning curve / pain that causes questions such as this one to be amongst the most viewed on Stack Overflow.

In SourceTree, right click on any local branch in the "Branches" pane on the left and select "Rename ...".

If you are willing to use to use SourceTree (which I strongly recommend) you can right click your branch and chose 'Rename'.

Since you do not want to push the branch to a remote server, this example will be useful:

Let's say you have an existing branch called "my-hot-feature," and you want to rename it to "feature-15."

First, you want to change your local branch. This couldn't be easier:

git branch -m my-hot-feature feature-15


For more information, you can visit Locally and Remotely Renaming a Branch in Git.

Changing the branch locally is quite easy...

If you are on the branch you want to change the name, simply do this:

git branch -m my_new_branch


Otherwise, if you are on master or any other branch other than the one you'd like to change the name, simply do:

master

git branch -m my_old_branch my_new_branch


Also, I create the image below to show this in action in a command line, in this case, you are on master branch for example:

master

If you are on the branch you want to rename:

git branch -m new-name


If you are on a different branch:

git branch -m old-name new-name


git push origin :old-name new-name

git push origin :old-name new-name

git push origin -u new-name

git push origin -u new-name

Or you as a fast way to do that, you can use these 3 steps: command in your terminal

# Rename branch locally

git branch -m old_branch new_branch


# Delete the old branch

git push origin :old_branch


# Push the new branch, set local branch to track the new remote

git push --set-upstream origin new_branch


Referance: https://www.w3docs.com/snippets/git/how-to-rename-git-local-and-remote-branches.html

git version 2.9.2

If you want to change the name of the local branch you are on:

git branch -m new_name


If you want to change the name of a different branch:

git branch -m old_name new_name


If you want to change the name of a different branch to a name that already exists:

git branch -M old_name new_name_that_already_exists


Note: The last command is destructive and will rename your branch, but you will lose the old branch with that name and those commits because branch names must be unique.

If you want to change the name of the current branch, run:

git branch -m [old_branch] [new_branch]


If you want to delete the old remote branch, run:

git push origin :[old_branch]


If you want to delete the old remote branch and create a new remote branch, run:

git push origin :old_branch new_branch


Simple way to do it :

git branch -m old_branch new_branch # Rename branch locally
git push origin :old_branch # Delete the old branch
git push --set-upstream origin new_branch # Push the new branch, set local branch to track the new remote


For more, see this.

All of the above are talking about git branch -m.Of course, it's easy to operate, but for me, it may be a little hard to remember another git command. So I tried to get the work down by the command I was familiar with.Yeah, you may guessed it.

git branch -m

I use git branch -b <new_branch_name>.And if you don't want to save the old branch now you can execute git branch -D <old_branch_name> to remove it.

git branch -b <new_branch_name>

git branch -D <old_branch_name>

I know it may be a little tedious but it's easier to understood and remember.Hope it‘s helpful for you.

git branch rename can be done by using

git branch -m oldBranch newBranch

git branch -m oldBranch newBranch

git branch -M oldBranch ExistingBranch

git branch -M oldBranch ExistingBranch

Difference between -m and -M ,

-m: if your trying to rename your branch with exising branch name using -m
it will raise an error says, branch already exist. you need to give unique name.

but,

-M: this will help you to force rename with given name even it is exist. so existing branch will overwrite entirely with it...

Here is git terminal example,

mohideen@dev:~/project/myapp/sunithamakeup$ git branch
master
master0
new_master
test
* test1
mohideen@dev:~/project/myapp/sunithamakeup$ git branch -m test1 test
fatal: A branch named 'test' already exists.
mohideen@dev:~/project/myapp/sunithamakeup$ git branch -M test1 test
mohideen@dev:~/project/myapp/sunithamakeup$ git branch
master
master0
new_master
* test
mohideen@dev:~/project/myapp/sunithamakeup$


Rename branch:

git branch -m old_branchname new_branchname

git branch -m old_branchname new_branchname

here The long name of the -m option is --move. So we can also use

git branch --move old_branchname new_branchname

git branch --move old_branchname new_branchname

If you wan to rename the current branch thrn use this.

git branch -m new_branchname


or

git branch -move new_branchname


If you want to move this changes to remote Then use the following.

git push origin :old_branchname new_branchname


This will delete the old_branchname remote branch and push the new_branchname local branch.

git push origin -u new_branchname


This will reset the upstream branch for the new_branchname local branch.

PHPStorm:

VCS->Git->Branches...->Local Branches->_your_branch_->Rename

If you want to:

git branch -m <oldname> <newname>

git push origin: old-name new-name

git commit <newname>

git push origin new_branch_name:master

git status

git checkout

git branch -m old_branch_name new_branch_name

OR

git branch --move old_branch_name new_branch_name

If you want to change the branch name locally from the list of branches.

Example: Let my branch name is "demo" i want to rename this to "test" you can do like this :

// git branch -m <oldname> <newname>

$ git branch -m demo test


If you want to rename the current branch, you can do like this :

// git branch -m <newname>

$ git branch -m test


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