Git101: When You Can And When You Can Not Switch Branches — When Just Modifying Files

The aim of this page📝is to show when can you switch branches with modified files without getting

Your local changes to the following files would be overwritten by checkout

Maybe not a best practice, but sometimes I just need to test a freshly modified script across branches (I use feature branch for each markdown document to be dispatched to Zendesk) — this is where the need to understand these particular mechanics comes from.

1. notes

• Create a branch1
• Modify file
• Checkout branch2
• Succeeds
• Checkout branch1
• Stage/commit initial changes to branch1
• Modify file again
• Do not stage/commit yet
• Checkout branch2
• Fails

error: Your local changes to the following files would be overwritten by checkout:
        <file>
Please commit your changes or stash them before you switch branches.
Aborting

2. links

• Git error: Your local changes to the following files would be overwritten by checkout | alvinalexander.com