How Do I Copy a Version of a Single File From One Git Branch to Another?

To copy a version of a single file from one Git branch to another, you can use the git checkout command to extract the file from the desired branch and then add and commit it to your current branch. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to do this:

Steps to Copy a Single File from One Branch to Another

1. Check Out the Target Branch

   First, switch to the branch where you want to copy the file to (the target branch).

    

   Copied!

   git checkout target-branch
   

   Replace target-branch with the name of your target branch.

2. Copy the File from the Source Branch

   Use the git checkout command to extract the file from the source branch into your current branch.

    

   Copied!

   git checkout source-branch -- path/to/file
   

   Replace source-branch with the branch containing the version of the file you want, and path/to/file with the path to the file.

   For example, if you want to copy example.txt from the branch feature-branch to your current branch:

    

   Copied!

   git checkout feature-branch -- example.txt
   

   This command will check out the version of example.txt from feature-branch and place it in your working directory on the target-branch.

3. Stage the Copied File

   After checking out the file, it will appear in your working directory. Stage the file to prepare it for committing.

    

   Copied!

   git add path/to/file
   

   For example:

    

   Copied!

   git add example.txt
   

4. Commit the File

   Commit the copied file to your current branch.

    

   Copied!

   git commit -m "Copy file from source-branch to target-branch"
   

5. Push the Changes (if applicable)

   If you are working with a remote repository and want to push the changes, use:

    

   Copied!

   git push origin target-branch
   

   Replace target-branch with the name of your branch.

Example Scenario

Assume you have a file config.json in feature-branch and you want to copy it to main:

1. Switch to the main Branch:

    

   Copied!

   git checkout main
   

2. Copy config.json from feature-branch:

    

   Copied!

   git checkout feature-branch -- config.json
   

3. Stage and Commit the File:

    

   Copied!

   git add config.json
   git commit -m "Copy config.json from feature-branch to main"
   

4. Push Changes to Remote (if needed):

    

   Copied!

   git push origin main
   

Additional Tips

• Verify the File: Before committing, you can review the changes using git diff to ensure that the file is correct.

• Check Out Specific Commits: If you need a specific version of the file from a commit rather than a branch, you can specify the commit hash:

   

  Copied!

  git checkout <commit-hash> -- path/to/file
  

  Replace <commit-hash> with the specific commit hash.

Summary

To copy a single file from one Git branch to another:

1. Switch to the target branch.
2. Use git checkout source-branch -- path/to/file to copy the file.
3. Stage the file with git add.
4. Commit the changes with git commit.
5. Push the changes to the remote repository if needed.

This method allows you to selectively incorporate changes from one branch into another without merging the entire branch.

Got an article suggestion? Let us know

Explore more

Git

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.