NAME
----
- git-checkout - Checkout a branch or paths to the working tree
+ git-checkout - Switch branches or restore working tree files
SYNOPSIS
--------
(i.e. commit, tag or tree) to update the index for the given
paths before updating the working tree.
+
+ 'git checkout' with <paths> or `--patch` is used to restore modified or
+ deleted paths to their original contents from the index or replace paths
+ with the contents from a named <tree-ish> (most often a commit-ish).
+ +
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.
edits from your current working tree. See the ``Interactive Mode''
section of linkgit:git-add[1] to learn how to operate the `--patch` mode.
+--to=<path>::
+ Check out a branch in a separate working directory at
+ `<path>`. A new working directory is linked to the current
+ repository, sharing everything except working directory
+ specific files such as HEAD, index... See "MULTIPLE WORKING
+ TREES" section for more information.
+
+--ignore-other-worktrees::
+ `git checkout` refuses when the wanted ref is already checked
+ out by another worktree. This option makes it check the ref
+ out anyway. In other words, the ref can be held by more than one
+ worktree.
+
<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
$ git log -g -2 HEAD
------------
+MULTIPLE WORKING TREES
+----------------------
+
+A git repository can support multiple working trees, allowing you to check
+out more than one branch at a time. With `git checkout --to` a new working
+tree is associated with the repository. This new working tree is called a
+"linked working tree" as opposed to the "main working tree" prepared by "git
+init" or "git clone". A repository has one main working tree (if it's not a
+bare repository) and zero or more linked working trees.
+
+Each linked working tree has a private sub-directory in the repository's
+$GIT_DIR/worktrees directory. The private sub-directory's name is usually
+the base name of the linked working tree's path, possibly appended with a
+number to make it unique. For example, when `$GIT_DIR=/path/main/.git` the
+command `git checkout --to /path/other/test-next next` creates the linked
+working tree in `/path/other/test-next` and also creates a
+`$GIT_DIR/worktrees/test-next` directory (or `$GIT_DIR/worktrees/test-next1`
+if `test-next` is already taken).
+
+Within a linked working tree, $GIT_DIR is set to point to this private
+directory (e.g. `/path/main/.git/worktrees/test-next` in the example) and
+$GIT_COMMON_DIR is set to point back to the main working tree's $GIT_DIR
+(e.g. `/path/main/.git`). These settings are made in a `.git` file located at
+the top directory of the linked working tree.
+
+Path resolution via `git rev-parse --git-path` uses either
+$GIT_DIR or $GIT_COMMON_DIR depending on the path. For example, in the
+linked working tree `git rev-parse --git-path HEAD` returns
+`/path/main/.git/worktrees/test-next/HEAD` (not
+`/path/other/test-next/.git/HEAD` or `/path/main/.git/HEAD`) while `git
+rev-parse --git-path refs/heads/master` uses
+$GIT_COMMON_DIR and returns `/path/main/.git/refs/heads/master`,
+since refs are shared across all working trees.
+
+See linkgit:gitrepository-layout[5] for more information. The rule of
+thumb is do not make any assumption about whether a path belongs to
+$GIT_DIR or $GIT_COMMON_DIR when you need to directly access something
+inside $GIT_DIR. Use `git rev-parse --git-path` to get the final path.
+
+When you are done with a linked working tree you can simply delete it.
+The working tree's entry in the repository's $GIT_DIR/worktrees
+directory will eventually be removed automatically (see
+`gc.pruneworktreesexpire` in linkgit::git-config[1]), or you can run
+`git prune --worktrees` in the main or any linked working tree to
+clean up any stale entries in $GIT_DIR/worktrees.
+
+If you move a linked working directory to another file system, or
+within a file system that does not support hard links, you need to run
+at least one git command inside the linked working directory
+(e.g. `git status`) in order to update its entry in $GIT_DIR/worktrees
+so that it does not get automatically removed.
+
+To prevent a $GIT_DIR/worktrees entry from from being pruned (which
+can be useful in some situations, such as when the
+entry's working tree is stored on a portable device), add a file named
+'locked' to the entry's directory. The file contains the reason in
+plain text. For example, if a linked working tree's `.git` file points
+to `/path/main/.git/worktrees/test-next` then a file named
+`/path/main/.git/worktrees/test-next/locked` will prevent the
+`test-next` entry from being pruned. See
+linkgit:gitrepository-layout[5] for details.
+
+Multiple checkout support for submodules is incomplete. It is NOT
+recommended to make multiple checkouts of a superproject.
+
EXAMPLES
--------