How to Switch to the Master Branch in Git

Serena
10 Oct, 2025

Tutorial

When working with Git, branches allow developers to work on different features or fixes without affecting the main project code. The master branch (or main branch in newer repositories) is typically the default branch where production-ready code resides.

This guide explains how to switch to the master branch in Git using simple command-line instructions.

To switch to the master branch in Git, follow the steps below:

Open your terminal or command prompt.
Navigate to your Git repository using the cd command.
```
cd your-repository-name
```
Check which branch you are currently on:
```
git branch
```
The branch with an asterisk (*) next to it is your current branch.
Switch to the master branch:
```
git checkout master
```
If your repository uses main instead of master, use:
```
git checkout main
```
If the master branch doesn’t exist locally, create and switch to it:
```
git checkout -b master
```

This way, you have successfully switched to the master branch in Git. To prevent losing work, always submit or store your changes before switching branches. Remember that some repositories now use ‘main’ as the default branch name; the same process applies when switching to it.

Learn the full guide on how to install Git on Windows 10