Rename local and remote Git branches
While working on a project, if you feel that the branch name is not suitable for the branch you are working on and want to rename the branch, there are several ways to rename the branch depending on the scenario you are in. In this article, we will look at how to rename a branch in your local machine or if the branch is located in a remote repository.
Rename the currently active Git local branch
The syntax to rename the currently active branch is as follows.
git branch -m <New_Branch_Name>
For example, if we are currently working on a branch name bug-fixand need to change the name to bug-fix-1, we can rename the branch using the following syntax.
git branch -m bug-fix-1
However, with this approach, if we push changes to the remote repository, a new branch will be created containing the changes, and the old branch will remain as it is.
Rename an inactive Git branch
If we masterare working in branch and need to bug-fixrename another branch named to bug-fix-1, we can follow the following syntax.
git branch -m <Old_Branch_Name> <New_Branch_Name>
For example,
git branch -m bug-fix bug-fix-1
git config --global alias.rename 'branch -m'
Now, after setting up the alias, we can rename the git branch using the following syntax.
git rename <New_Name> # If Renaming Currently Active Branch
or,
git rename <Old_Name> <New_Name> # If Renaming a Not Active Branch
Rename Git remote branch
If we want to rename a remote branch, then we need to follow three steps instead.
-
Rename the branch name locally.
git branch -m <New_Branch_Name> # OR git branch -m <Old_Branch_Name> <New_Branch_Name> -
Push changes to branch name to the remote repository.
git push origin :<Old_Branch_Name> <New_Branch_Name>Note:
<Old_Branch_Name>The leading colon (:) should not be missed. -
Set up a local branch to track a remote repository with the same name. To do this, we need to use the following syntax.
git push --set-upstream origin <New_Branch_Name>
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