Creating and switching branches (git branch, git switch, git checkout)

How to make, list, rename, and move between branches — and why git switch exists to split the overloaded git checkout.

Why it matters

Switching branches is the single most frequent navigation operation in Git, done dozens of times a day. git checkout historically did two unrelated jobs — move between branches and restore files — which caused destructive accidents. Git 2.23 (2019) introduced git switch and git restore to separate them, and every guide now prefers the focused commands.

How it works

Task	Modern (2.23+)	Legacy checkout
Create + switch	git switch -c feat	git checkout -b feat
Switch existing	git switch feat	git checkout feat
Create only, no switch	git branch feat	git branch feat
Switch to a SHA (detach)	git switch --detach <sha>	git checkout <sha>
Restore a file	git restore path	git checkout -- path

• git branch feat [start-point] creates a pointer at start-point (default HEAD) but leaves HEAD where it is.
• git switch feat repoints HEAD, then rewrites the working tree to match that tip; uncommitted changes that don’t conflict are carried along.
• git switch -c feat origin/main creates feat and sets origin/main as upstream (see tracking-branches-and-upstream).
• git branch -m old new renames; git branch -d feat deletes (see deleting-branches).
• git branch -vv lists branches with their tip and upstream tracking.

Example

$ git switch -c hotfix-501 main      # branch off the tip of main
Switched to a new branch 'hotfix-501'
$ git branch -vv
* hotfix-501 a71be09 fix null deref
  main       a71be09 [origin/main] release 2.4
$ git switch -                       # jump back to previous branch
Switched to branch 'main'

Pitfalls

• git branch feat then forgetting to switch — it only creates the pointer; your next commit still lands on the old branch. Use switch -c to do both.
• git checkout <file> muscle memory — the legacy form silently overwrites local edits with no undo. Prefer git restore.
• Dirty tree blocking a switch — if a tracked file would be clobbered, Git aborts; commit or stash first.
• Branching off a stale local main — git fetch first, or branch off origin/main, so you don’t fork old history.

See also

• merging-branches-git-merge
• stashing-changes-git-stash