SYNOPSIS
--------
[verse]
-'git checkout' [-q] [-f] [--track | --no-track] [-b <new_branch> [-l]] [-m] [<branch>]
+'git checkout' [-q] [-f] [-m] [<branch>]
+'git checkout' [-q] [-f] [-m] [[-b|--orphan] <new_branch>] [<start_point>]
'git checkout' [-f|--ours|--theirs|-m|--conflict=<style>] [<tree-ish>] [--] <paths>...
+'git checkout' --patch [<tree-ish>] [--] [<paths>...]
DESCRIPTION
-----------
+Updates files in the working tree to match the version in the index
+or the specified tree. If no paths are given, 'git checkout' will
+also update `HEAD` to set the specified branch as the current
+branch.
-When <paths> are not given, this command switches branches by
-updating the index and working tree to reflect the specified
-branch, <branch>, and updating HEAD to be <branch> or, if
-specified, <new_branch>. Using -b will cause <new_branch> to
-be created; in this case you can use the --track or --no-track
-options, which will be passed to `git branch`.
-
-As a convenience, --track will default to create a branch whose
-name is constructed from the specified branch name by stripping
-the first namespace level.
-
-When <paths> are given, this command does *not* switch
-branches. It updates the named paths in the working tree from
-the index file, or from a named <tree-ish> (most often a commit). In
-this case, the `-b` options is meaningless and giving
-either of them results in an error. <tree-ish> argument can be
-used to specify a specific tree-ish (i.e. commit, tag or tree)
-to update the index for the given paths before updating the
-working tree.
-
-The index may contain unmerged entries after a failed merge. By
-default, if you try to check out such an entry from the index, the
+'git checkout' [<branch>]::
+'git checkout' -b <new branch> [<start point>]::
+
+ This form switches branches by updating the index, working
+ tree, and HEAD to reflect the specified branch.
++
+If `-b` is given, a new branch is created as if linkgit:git-branch[1]
+were called and then checked out; in this case you can
+use the `--track` or `--no-track` options, which will be passed to
+'git branch'. As a convenience, `--track` without `-b` implies branch
+creation; see the description of `--track` below.
+
+'git checkout' [--patch] [<tree-ish>] [--] <pathspec>...::
+
+ When <paths> or `--patch` are given, 'git checkout' *not* switch
+ branches. It updates the named paths in the working tree from
+ the index file or from a named <tree-ish> (most often a commit). In
+ this case, the `-b` and `--track` options are meaningless and giving
+ either of them results in an error. The <tree-ish> argument can be
+ used to specify a specific tree-ish (i.e. commit, tag or tree)
+ to update the index for the given paths before updating the
+ working tree.
++
+The index may contain unmerged entries because of a previous failed merge.
+By default, if you try to check out such an entry from the index, the
checkout operation will fail and nothing will be checked out.
-Using -f will ignore these unmerged entries. The contents from a
+Using `-f` will ignore these unmerged entries. The contents from a
specific side of the merge can be checked out of the index by
-using --ours or --theirs. With -m, changes made to the working tree
-file can be discarded to recreate the original conflicted merge result.
+using `--ours` or `--theirs`. With `-m`, changes made to the working tree
+file can be discarded to re-create the original conflicted merge result.
OPTIONS
-------
-q::
+--quiet::
Quiet, suppress feedback messages.
-f::
+--force::
When switching branches, proceed even if the index or the
working tree differs from HEAD. This is used to throw away
local changes.
-b::
Create a new branch named <new_branch> and start it at
- <branch>. The new branch name must pass all checks defined
- by linkgit:git-check-ref-format[1]. Some of these checks
- may restrict the characters allowed in a branch name.
+ <start_point>; see linkgit:git-branch[1] for details.
-t::
--track::
- When creating a new branch, set up configuration so that 'git-pull'
- will automatically retrieve data from the start point, which must be
- a branch. Use this if you always pull from the same upstream branch
- into the new branch, and if you don't want to use "git pull
- <repository> <refspec>" explicitly. This behavior is the default
- when the start point is a remote branch. Set the
- branch.autosetupmerge configuration variable to `false` if you want
- 'git-checkout' and 'git-branch' to always behave as if '--no-track' were
- given. Set it to `always` if you want this behavior when the
- start-point is either a local or remote branch.
+ When creating a new branch, set up "upstream" configuration. See
+ "--track" in linkgit:git-branch[1] for details.
+
-If no '-b' option was given, the name of the new branch will be
-derived from the remote branch, by attempting to guess the name
-of the branch on remote system. If "remotes/" or "refs/remotes/"
-are prefixed, it is stripped away, and then the part up to the
+If no '-b' option is given, the name of the new branch will be
+derived from the remote branch. If "remotes/" or "refs/remotes/"
+is prefixed it is stripped away, and then the part up to the
next slash (which would be the nickname of the remote) is removed.
This would tell us to use "hack" as the local branch when branching
off of "origin/hack" (or "remotes/origin/hack", or even
explicitly give a name with '-b' in such a case.
--no-track::
- Ignore the branch.autosetupmerge configuration variable.
+ Do not set up "upstream" configuration, even if the
+ branch.autosetupmerge configuration variable is true.
-l::
- Create the new branch's reflog. This activates recording of
- all changes made to the branch ref, enabling use of date
- based sha1 expressions such as "<branchname>@\{yesterday}".
+ Create the new branch's reflog; see linkgit:git-branch[1] for
+ details.
+
+--orphan::
+ Create a new 'orphan' branch, named <new_branch>, started from
+ <start_point> and switch to it. The first commit made on this
+ new branch will have no parents and it will be the root of a new
+ history totally disconnected from all the other branches and
+ commits.
++
+The index and the working tree are adjusted as if you had previously run
+"git checkout <start_point>". This allows you to start a new history
+that records a set of paths similar to <start_point> by easily running
+"git commit -a" to make the root commit.
++
+This can be useful when you want to publish the tree from a commit
+without exposing its full history. You might want to do this to publish
+an open source branch of a project whose current tree is "clean", but
+whose full history contains proprietary or otherwise encumbered bits of
+code.
++
+If you want to start a disconnected history that records a set of paths
+that is totally different from the one of <start_point>, then you should
+clear the index and the working tree right after creating the orphan
+branch by running "git rm -rf ." from the top level of the working tree.
+Afterwards you will be ready to prepare your new files, repopulating the
+working tree, by copying them from elsewhere, extracting a tarball, etc.
-m::
--merge::
"merge" (default) and "diff3" (in addition to what is shown by
"merge" style, shows the original contents).
+-p::
+--patch::
+ Interactively select hunks in the difference between the
+ <tree-ish> (or the index, if unspecified) and the working
+ tree. The chosen hunks are then applied in reverse to the
+ working tree (and if a <tree-ish> was specified, the index).
++
+This means that you can use `git checkout -p` to selectively discard
+edits from your current working tree.
+
+<branch>::
+ Branch to checkout; if it refers to a branch (i.e., a name that,
+ when prepended with "refs/heads/", is a valid ref), then that
+ branch is checked out. Otherwise, if it refers to a valid
+ commit, your HEAD becomes "detached" and you are no longer on
+ any branch (see below for details).
++
+As a special case, the `"@\{-N\}"` syntax for the N-th last branch
+checks out the branch (instead of detaching). You may also specify
+`-` which is synonymous with `"@\{-1\}"`.
++
+As a further special case, you may use `"A...B"` as a shortcut for the
+merge base of `A` and `B` if there is exactly one merge base. You can
+leave out at most one of `A` and `B`, in which case it defaults to `HEAD`.
+
<new_branch>::
Name for the new branch.
+<start_point>::
+ The name of a commit at which to start the new branch; see
+ linkgit:git-branch[1] for details. Defaults to HEAD.
+
<tree-ish>::
Tree to checkout from (when paths are given). If not specified,
the index will be used.
-<branch>::
- Branch to checkout (when no paths are given); may be any object
- ID that resolves to a commit. Defaults to HEAD.
-+
-When this parameter names a non-branch (but still a valid commit object),
-your HEAD becomes 'detached'.
Detached HEAD
------------
Earlier versions of git did not allow this and asked you to
-create a temporary branch using `-b` option, but starting from
+create a temporary branch using the `-b` option, but starting from
version 1.5.0, the above command 'detaches' your HEAD from the
-current branch and directly point at the commit named by the tag
-(`v2.6.18` in the above example).
+current branch and directly points at the commit named by the tag
+(`v2.6.18` in the example above).
-You can use usual git commands while in this state. You can use
+You can use all git commands while in this state. You can use
`git reset --hard $othercommit` to further move around, for
example. You can make changes and create a new commit on top of
a detached HEAD. You can even create a merge by using `git
$ git checkout -- hello.c
------------
-. After working in a wrong branch, switching to the correct
+. After working in the wrong branch, switching to the correct
branch would be done using:
+
------------
------------
+
However, your "wrong" branch and correct "mytopic" branch may
-differ in files that you have locally modified, in which case,
+differ in files that you have modified locally, in which case
the above checkout would fail like this:
+
------------
$ git checkout mytopic
-fatal: Entry 'frotz' not uptodate. Cannot merge.
+error: You have local changes to 'frotz'; not switching branches.
------------
+
You can give the `-m` flag to the command, which would try a