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Checking Out a Branch

In Git, checking out a branch means making it your current working branch. At the same time, the files associated with that branch will be put into your working copy directory.

IMPORTANT:Note that you can only check out local branches, not remote ones.

To check out a branch

Perform one of the following actions:

  • Double-click the local branch you want to check out in the Sidebar.

  • Right-click the local branch you want to check out in the Sidebar and select "Checkout branch" from the contextual menu.

  • Select the local branch you want to check out in the Sidebar and then click the "Checkout" button in the toolbar.

NOTE:Git won't let you switch branches if you have uncommitted changes in your working copy directory that would conflict with the branch's files you're trying to check out. In that case, you can use the Stash (see "Using the Stash") to save your current changes and get a clean working copy.


Related Topics

Creating a new branch

Using the Stash