How to Fetch and Switch to Remote Branch in Git

To fetch and switch to a remote branch in Git, you need to create a local branch that tracks the remote branch. The correct approach is to use git checkout -b daves_branch origin/daves_branch which creates a new local branch daves_branch and sets it to track origin/daves_branch. Alternatively, you can first fetch all remote branches and then use git checkout with the branch name.

Contents

• Understanding Remote Branch Tracking
• Method 1: Create Local Branch with Tracking
• Method 2: Fetch First Then Checkout
• Method 3: Using Git Switch (Git 2.23+)
• Best Practices and Common Scenarios
• Troubleshooting Common Issues

Understanding Remote Branch Tracking

Remote branches in Git are references to the state of branches in your remote repositories. When you see origin/daves_branch in your git branch -r output, this represents a pointer to the tip of that branch on the remote repository.

However, these remote branches aren’t automatically available as local branches you can work on. You need to explicitly create a local branch that tracks the remote branch. This tracking relationship allows Git to know which remote branch your local branch should communicate with when you push or pull.

The key difference is:

• origin/daves_branch - a remote branch reference (read-only)
• daves_branch - a local branch you can work on (read-write)

Method 1: Create Local Branch with Tracking

The most direct method is to create the local branch and set up tracking in one command:

git checkout -b daves_branch origin/daves_branch

This command does two things:

1. Creates a new local branch named daves_branch
2. Sets it to track the remote branch origin/daves_branch

As explained in the research, this is the recommended approach when you need to switch to a remote branch for the first time source.

Method 2: Fetch First Then Checkout

If you want to ensure you have the latest remote data before creating your local branch, you can fetch first:

# Fetch all branches from the remote
git fetch origin

# Then create the local tracking branch
git checkout -b daves_branch origin/daves_branch

Alternatively, some Git versions (2.23+) allow a simpler approach:

# Fetch the specific branch
git fetch origin daves_branch

# Then checkout and create tracking branch
git checkout daves_branch

This works because after fetching origin/daves_branch, Git knows about the remote branch and can create a local tracking branch when you checkout.

Method 3: Using Git Switch (Git 2.23+)

For Git versions 2.23 and later, you can use the more modern git switch command:

git switch -c daves_branch origin/daves_branch

Where -c is equivalent to -b (create branch) but with clearer semantics. The git switch command was introduced to provide a clearer separation between switching branches and checking out files.

Best Practices and Common Scenarios

Scenario 1: Working with an Existing Remote Branch

When you have a remote branch like origin/daves_branch and want to start working on it:

# Recommended approach
git checkout -b daves_branch origin/daves_branch

# Alternative for modern Git
git switch -c daves_branch origin/daves_branch

Scenario 2: First-Time Push with Tracking

When creating a new local branch that will be pushed to a remote:

# Create new branch
git checkout -b feature-payment

# Push with tracking setup
git push -u origin feature-payment

The -u option (--set-upstream) sets up tracking so future git push commands don’t need to specify the remote and branch source.

Scenario 3: Checking All Remote Branches

Before checking out a remote branch, you might want to see what’s available:

# List all remote branches
git branch -r

# Fetch all branches and update remote references
git fetch --all

Using git fetch --prune can also help clean up deleted remote branches locally source.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

“No such branch” Error

If you get an error like:

error: pathspec 'daves_branch' did not match any file(s) known to git

It means there’s no local branch named daves_branch yet. Use the -b option to create it:

# Correct way
git checkout -b daves_branch origin/daves_branch

Outdated Remote References

If you can’t see the remote branch:

# Update your remote references
git fetch origin

Changing Branch Tracking

If you need to change what a local branch tracks:

# Check current tracking
git branch -vv

# Change tracking
git branch -u origin/new-branch

Sources

1. Git Checkout to a Remote Branch Made Easy - Git Scripts
2. git checkout -b: Your Ultimate Guide - The Adnan Lab
3. 【超簡単】Git追跡ブランチの作り方ガイド - YUKIKO@BI＆AIを極めたい
4. How to fetch changes in Git - CoreUI

Conclusion

• Primary Solution: Use git checkout -b daves_branch origin/daves_branch to create a local tracking branch for remote work
• Alternative: Fetch first with git fetch origin then checkout with tracking setup
• Modern Git: Use git switch -c daves_branch origin/daves_branch for Git 2.23+
• Best Practice: Always set up tracking relationships between local and remote branches for easier push/pull operations
• Troubleshooting: Remember to fetch remote branches before trying to checkout if you get “no such branch” errors

The key takeaway is that remote branches need to be explicitly created as local tracking branches before you can work on them. The -b option with git checkout is essential for establishing this relationship.