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Worktrees

By · Reviewed & last updated · Part of Git Tutorial

Worktrees let you check out multiple branches into separate directories from the same repo - perfect for hotfixes without stashing or context-switching.

Git worktrees - hands on

EXAMPLE
# Standard situation: you are on a feature branch with WIP changes
# and an urgent bug needs a hotfix on main.

# 1. Create a worktree for main alongside your repo
git worktree add ../hotfix main

# Now ../hotfix has a full checkout of main
# Your current dir keeps feature/x and uncommitted changes - untouched

# 2. Hotfix workflow
cd ../hotfix
git checkout -b hotfix/issue-1234
# ... edit, commit, push, open PR ...

# 3. Run the test suite there without disturbing your main checkout
npm test
# or hit your CI by pushing

# 4. List worktrees
git worktree list
# /path/to/repo            abc123 [feature/x]
# /path/to/hotfix          def456 [hotfix/issue-1234]

# 5. Remove a worktree once the branch is merged
git worktree remove ../hotfix

# 6. Prune stale entries (after manual deletion)
git worktree prune

# Bonus patterns
# - Long-running release branch in its own dir: git worktree add ../release-2024.10 release/2024.10
# - Read-only docs build directory: git worktree add --detach ../docs-build origin/docs
# - Compare branches side-by-side in your IDE

Why it matters

Worktrees beat stash + checkout + stash pop for any non-trivial interruption. They are cheap (a single .git/worktrees entry) and let you keep watchers, dev servers, and editors running on your main work while you ship the hotfix.

Tip: Tweak the snippet with Try it Yourself », then sit the quiz at the bottom of the page.

Example

Example
git worktree add ../bugfix bugfix-branch    # work on two branches in parallel
Try it Yourself »

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