In Git, branches allow multiple developers to work on different features or fixes simultaneously. Often, a branch is set to track a remote branch, which means that Git can keep track of which commits have been pushed to or pulled from that remote branch.

There might be situations where you need to change the remote that a branch is tracking, for instance, if the remote repository has changed or you need to push your changes to a different repository. This article will guide you through the steps to change the remote a branch is tracking in Git.

Understanding Remote Tracking Branches

In Git, a remote tracking branch is a local branch that reflects the state of the branch on a remote repository. For example, origin/main is a remote-tracking branch that tracks the main branch in the origin remote repository.

Steps to Change the Remote Branch is Tracking

Step 1: Verify the Current Remote

First, let’s check the current remotes associated with the repository. Open your terminal or command prompt and navigate to the Git repository. Run the following command:

git remote -v

This command lists all the remote repositories and their URLs.

Step 2: Identify the Current Tracking Branch

Next, identify which remote branch the local branch is currently tracking. Use the following command:

git branch -vv

This command shows all the local branches and their respective tracking branches.

Step 3: Add the New Remote (if needed)

If the new remote repository is not yet added to the local repository, we can add it using:

git remote add new-remote <URL_of_new_remote_repository>

The Replace new-remote with the desired name for the new remote and <URL_of_new_remote_repository> with the URL of the new remote repository.

Step 4: Change the Tracking Branch

To change the remote tracking branch, We need to use the git branch command with the –set-upstream-to option. First, switch to the branch we want to change:

git checkout <your-branch>

Now, set the upstream branch to the track the new remote:

git branch --set-upstream-to=new-remote/<branch> <your-branch>

The Replace new-remote with the name of the new remote <branch> with the branch name on the new remote and <your-branch> with the local branch name.

Step 5: Verify the Changes

Finally, verify that the branch is now tracking the new remote branch:

git branch -vv

This should show the local branch tracking the new remote branch.

Example

Let’s walk through a complete example. Suppose we have a branch feature that is currently tracking origin/feature and we want to change it to the track upstream/feature.

Step 1: Check current remotes

git remote -v

Step 2: Check current tracking branch

git branch -vv

Step 3: Add new remote (if not already added)

git remote add upstream https://github.com/example/upstream-repo.git

Step 4: Switch to the branch

git checkout feature

Step 5: Set the new upstream branch

git branch --set-upstream-to=upstream/feature feature

Step 6: Verify the new tracking branch

git branch -vv

How To Change the Remote a Branch is Tracking in Git