Introduction
Several companies, including Microsoft, GitHub, and Gitlab, decided to rename the “master” branch in Git to “main”. This change was a response to a movement that aims to eliminate harmful and exclusionary language while promoting inclusivity and respect in the industry.
This post provides a simple guide for how to rename the branch in your own Git repositories.
How to rename the master branch to main in Git
First we need to rename the master branch to main using the command below:
git branch --move master mainThen we need to push the main branch to the remote repository
git push -u origin mainNow it is necessary to let GitHub know that “main” is the new default branch for this repo.
Access your repository and navigate to the “Settings” page. In the “Default Branch” section, click on the “Switch” button.
Select the ‘main’ branch from the dropdown menu and click on “Update”.
A warning message will appear. Click on “I understand, update this branch” to confirm the action.
How to change the default branch for new projects
Starting with Git version 2.28, you can define the default branch name for new projects. To ensure that you have a compatible version of Git, make sure that your Git version is at least 2.28.
Once you have confirmed your Git version, you can use the following command to set ‘main’ as the default branch for all new Git repositories:
git config --global init.defaultBranch mainSummary
To sum up, the decision to rename the “master” branch to “main” is a step towards creating a more equitable and respectful tech culture. By following the simple guide provided in this post, we can contribute to make the tech industry a more welcoming place for everyone.