Change a branch name in a Git repo

Question

How do I rename an existing branch in a Git repo?

I want the current branch to have a new name.

Answer 1

Assuming you're currently on the branch you want to rename:

git branch -m newname

This is documented in the manual for git-branch, which you can view using

man git-branch

or

git help branch

Specifically, the command is

git branch (-m | -M) [] 

where the parameters are:

   
       The name of an existing branch to rename.

   
       The new name for an existing branch. The same restrictions as for  apply.

is optional, if you want to rename the current branch.