Git: Rename local and remote branch

gitRenameLocalAndRemote.md

Renaming both a local and remote branch

First, rename the local branch by typing:

git branch -m <old_name> <new_name>

Then push the new branch to the remote repository:

git push origin <new_name>

Delete the old branch on the remote repository: ** NOTE: With GitHub, you can't delete a branch through the web interface if it's the default branch of the repository. You can change the default branch in the repository settings. **

git push origin :<old_name>

Finally, reset the upstream branch for the new_name local branch:

git push origin -u <new_name>

Renaming a remote branch

If you only want to rename a remote branch, you can do so by:

git push origin <old_name>:<new_name>
git push origin :<old_name>

Finally, reset the upstream branch for the new_name local branch:

git push origin -u <new_name>