Updating a local repository with changes from a GitHub repository

I've got a project checked locally from GitHub, and that remote repository has since had changes made to it. What's the correct command to update my local copy with the latest changes?

8 Answers

Probably:

was: git pull origin master

now: git pull origin main

This should work for every default repo:

git pull origin master 

If your default branch is different than master, you will need to specify the branch name:

git pull origin my_default_branch_name 

git fetch [remotename] 

However you'll need to merge any changes into your local branches. If you're on a branch that's tracking a remote branch on Github, then

git pull 

will first do a fetch, and then merge in the tracked branch

This question is very general and there are a couple of assumptions I'll make to simplify it a bit. We'll assume that you want to update your master branch.

If you haven't made any changes locally, you can use git pull to bring down any new commits and add them to your master.

git pull origin master 

If you have made changes, and you want to avoid adding a new merge commit, use git pull --rebase.

git pull --rebase origin master 

git pull --rebase will work even if you haven't made changes and is probably your best call.

With an already-set origin master, you just have to use the below command -

git pull "" 

To pull from the default branch, new repositories should use the command:

git pull origin main 

Github changed naming convention of default branch from master to main in 2020.

Complete Workflow for check out a branch and pull changes from master

Pull all remote branches

git pull --all

List all branches now

git branch -a

Download your branch

git checkout -b <feature branch name copied from list of branches above>

Shows current branch. Must show <feature branch> with * In front of it

git branch

Checkout changes from master to current branch

git pull origin master

OR checkout any other <feature branch> into current branch

git pull origin <feature-branch>

After Git Clone, if want to get the remote branches use

git fetch --all 

Then checkout to the branch you want

git checkout the-branch-you-need