Move Existing, Uncommitted Work to a New Branch in Git

While working on a large project, each developer works on different branches. Sometimes, they start working on a new feature in the existing branch, for instance, a local “master” branch, rather than creating a new branch. Later, it is realized that they are working in the wrong branch and need a new branch for this feature. So, move all the uncommitted work to a new branch and keep the “master” branch unchanged.

This post will talk about the method of moving the exciting, uncommitted work to a new Git branch.

How to Move Uncommitted Work to a New Git Branch?

To move the existing, uncommitted work to a new branch, execute the “$ git checkout -b <new-branch-name>” or “$ git switch -c <new-branch-name>” commands. These commands create a new branch and switch to it while leaving the current branch as it is and bringing all uncommitted changes to the new branch. Follow the provided steps to do this:

• Move to the local repository.
• Generate a new file.
• Check current status.
• Make a new branch and checkout to it.
• View the status of the new branch.
• Stage and commit changes.
• Verify new changes.
• Switch back to the previous branch and check the current status.

Step 1: Go to the Repository
First, navigate to the Git repository using “cd <“repository-path”>” command:

Step 2: Check Git Branches
Then, view the list of available Git branches in the repository:

Here you can see, two branches “alpha” and “master” are available, and the asterisk “*” symbol beside the “master” branch indicates it is current working branch:

Step 3: Create a New File
To generate a new file in the current working branch, execute the “$ touch” command:

Step 4: Check Status
After that, check the current status of the branch by executing the below-given command:

It can be observed that the new “test_1” file is unstaged:

Step 5: Create and Switch Branch
To create a branch and switch to it automatically, utilize the provided command:

In the below image, it can be seen that a new branch name “feature1” has been created and switched successfully:

Another way to generate a new branch and navigate to it immediately is to use the “$ git switch -c <new-branch-name>” command:

Step 6: View Newly Created Branch Status
Next, utilize the “$ git status” command to check the status of the Git working repository with the newly created branch:

As you can see, the “test_1” file needs to be tracked and committed:

Step 7: Stage Changes
Then, track the working area changes to the staging index by running the “git add” command:

Step 8: Commit Changes
Commit the new changes in the current working branch with the help of the “$ git commit” command along with the desired commit message:

Step 9: Verify Committed Changes
To verify the committed changes, run the following command:

As you can see, there is nothing to commit, and new changes have been added to the newly created branch:

Step 10: Switch to “master” Branch
Execute the below-provided command after completing the task in the current working branch to switch back to the “master” branch:

Step 11: Verify Status
Lastly, check the status of the current working branch:

This below-provided output indicates that there is no new commit and local change on the master branch:

We have efficiently explained the methods of moving existing, uncommitted work to the new branch in Git.

Conclusion

To move existing uncommitted work to the new branch in Git, utilize the “$ git checkout -b <new-branch-name>” or “$ git switch -c <new-branch-name>” commands. These commands create a new branch and immediately move the uncommitted changes to it by switching. This article demonstrated the procedure of moving existing, uncommitted work to the new branch in Git.