How do I delete a Git branch locally and remotely?

Question

I want to delete a branch both locally and remotely.

Failed Attempts to Delete a Remote Branch

$ git branch -d         


        

Answer 1

To delete locally - (normal)

git branch -d my_branch

If your branch is in a rebasing/merging progress and that was not done properly, it means you will get an error, Rebase/Merge in progress, so in that case, you won't be able to delete your branch.

So either you need to solve the rebasing/merging. Otherwise, you can do force delete by using,

git branch -D my_branch

To delete in remote:

git push --delete origin my_branch

You can do the same using:

git push origin :my_branch   # Easy to remember both will do the same.

Graphical representation:

Answer 2

Matthew's answer is great for removing remote branches and I also appreciate the explanation, but to make a simple distinction between the two commands:

To remove a local branch from your machine:

git branch -d {the_local_branch} (use -D instead to force deleting the branch without checking merged status)

To remove a remote branch from the server:

git push origin --delete {the_remote_branch}

Reference: Git: Delete a branch (local or remote)

Answer 3

If you want to delete a branch, first checkout to the branch other than the branch to be deleted.

git checkout other_than_branch_to_be_deleted

Deleting the local branch:

git branch -D branch_to_be_deleted

Deleting the remote branch:

git push origin --delete branch_to_be_deleted

Answer 4

Delete locally:

To delete a local branch, you can use:

git branch -d <branch_name>

To delete a branch forcibly, use -D instead of -d.

git branch -D <branch_name>

Delete remotely:

There are two options:

git push origin :branchname

git push origin --delete branchname

I would suggest you use the second way as it is more intuitive.

Answer 5

Simply say:

git branch -d <branch-name>
git push origin :<branch-name>

Answer 6

git push origin --delete <branch Name>

is easier to remember than

git push origin :branchName