git switch Tutorial

The short version

git switch is the dedicated command for moving between branches or creating a new branch and entering it immediately.

Why switch exists

git checkout used to cover both branch switching and file restoration. Git later introduced switch and restore to make those two jobs easier to understand.

Common usage

Switch to an existing branch

git switch feature/login

Create and switch in one step

git switch -c feature/login

This is the clearer modern form of git checkout -b feature/login.

Jump back to the previous branch

git switch -

This is very handy when you alternate between two branches during review or debugging.

When Git refuses to switch

If local changes would be overwritten, Git aborts the operation as a safety feature. Your usual options are to commit, stash, or explicitly discard changes if that is really what you intend.

Detached HEAD is also possible

git switch --detach <commit>

That is valid for temporary inspection or experiments. If the resulting commits matter, create a branch right away so they are easy to keep.