Make an Existing Git Branch Track a Remote Branch?

To make an existing Git branch track a remote branch, you can use the -u or --set-upstream-to option with the git branch command or the -u or --set-upstream option with the git push command. Here's how:

Using git branch

git branch --set-upstream-to=<remote>/<branch> <local-branch>

Replace <remote> with the name of the remote repository, <branch> with the name of the remote branch you want to track, and <local-branch> with the name of the local branch you want to set up to track the remote branch.

For example, to make the local branch main track the remote branch main on the origin remote:

git branch --set-upstream-to=origin/main main

Using git push

git push -u <remote> <local-branch>

Replace <remote> with the name of the remote repository and <local-branch> with the name of the local branch you want to push and set up to track the remote branch.

For example, to make the local branch main track the remote branch main on the origin remote:

git push -u origin main

Note:

• After setting up the tracking relationship, you can simply use git push and git pull without specifying the remote branch name, as Git will automatically use the tracked remote branch.
• If you're already on the branch you want to set up to track a remote branch, you don't need to specify the local branch name when using git push -u.
• Ensure that you have the necessary permissions to push changes to the remote repository and set up tracking relationships.

Got an article suggestion? Let us know

Explore more

Git

Move the Most Recent Commit(s) to a New Branch with Git

Questions

How Do I Undo the Most Recent Local Commits in Git?

Questions

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