Change a branch name in a Git repo

Question

How do I rename an existing branch in a Git repo?

I want the current branch to have a new name.

Answer 1

Assuming you're currently on the branch you want to rename:

git branch -m newname

This is documented in the manual for git-branch, which you can view using

man git-branch

or

git help branch

Specifically, the command is

git branch (-m | -M) [<oldbranch>] <newbranch>

where the parameters are:

   <oldbranch>
       The name of an existing branch to rename.

   <newbranch>
       The new name for an existing branch. The same restrictions as for <branchname> apply.

<oldbranch> is optional, if you want to rename the current branch.

Answer 2

If you're currently on the branch you want to rename:

git branch -m new_name 

Or else:

git branch -m old_name new_name 

You can check with:

git branch -a

As you can see, only the local name changed Now, to change the name also in the remote you must do:

git push origin :old_name

This removes the branch, then upload it with the new name:

git push origin new_name

Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20150929104013/http://blog.changecong.com:80/2012/10/rename-a-remote-branch-on-github