Git: branches and switching work

Branches are one of the main reasons Git works well for real projects.

A branch is a separate line of work

If all work happened directly on one branch, unfinished changes would constantly mix together.

Branches solve that by giving each task its own space.

For example:

• one branch can hold a bug fix
• another branch can hold a new feature
• the main branch can stay stable until work is ready

git switch changes which branch you are working on

To move to an existing branch:

git switch main

The Git docs describe git switch as updating the working tree and index to match the branch you switch to.

In practice, that means the files on disk change to reflect that branch.

git switch -c creates a new branch and moves to it

To create a new branch and switch to it immediately:

git switch -c fix-login-button

This is the common beginner-safe way to start a piece of work.

Why this matters in everyday work

A clean branch workflow helps you:

• isolate one task from another
• review work more clearly
• avoid mixing unrelated changes into the same commit history
• open cleaner pull requests later on GitHub

A practical rule

Create a branch when the work deserves its own checkpointed line of development.

That usually includes:

• bug fixes
• new features
• refactors
• documentation changes that are part of a specific task

What changes when you switch branches

When you switch branches, Git updates the working tree to match that branch.

That means:

• some files may change
• some files may appear or disappear
• the next commits will belong to the branch you switched to

This is why branches are more than labels. They change which line of history you are actively extending.

Deleting branches when work is done

After a branch has been merged, you can delete it to keep your repository clean:

git branch -d fix-login-button

This only deletes the branch if it has been fully merged. If Git refuses because the branch contains unmerged commits, use:

git branch -D fix-login-button

-D force-deletes the branch regardless of merge status. Use it only when you are certain the work is no longer needed.

You can only delete a branch you are not currently on. Switch to main first:

git switch main
git branch -d fix-login-button