Check out two branches at once with git worktree

Does this match your situation?

• You need to review or hotfix another branch without disturbing half-finished work.
• 'fatal: '<branch>' is already checked out at '<path>''
• You keep stashing, switching, unstashing and losing your place.
• Switching branches forces a full rebuild or a dependency reinstall every time.

Step-by-step fix

1. Add a second working directory

   One command creates a new folder checked out to the branch you name. It is a full working tree — you can build, test, commit and push from it exactly as normal.

   step 1Copy

   git worktree add ../myrepo-hotfix main
   
   # create a brand-new branch in the new folder:
   git worktree add -b hotfix/login ../myrepo-hotfix origin/main
   

2. See what you have

   Worktrees are easy to forget about. list shows every one, its path, its commit and its branch — including any left behind on a drive you have since unplugged.

   step 2Copy

   git worktree list
   

3. Understand the one-branch-per-worktree rule

   Git refuses to check the same branch out twice, because two folders committing to one branch would fight over the same ref. The error names the folder that already has it, which is usually all you need.

   step 3Copy

   git worktree list        # find who holds the branch
   # work on it there, or make a new branch instead:
   git worktree add -b hotfix-2 ../another main
   

   ⚠️--force overrides the check. Do it only if you understand that both checkouts will be moving the same branch pointer.

4. Inspect a detached commit without touching your branch

   A detached worktree is the cleanest way to look at an old tag or a colleague's commit: nothing about your current branch or working directory changes.

   step 4Copy

   git worktree add --detach ../inspect v1.4.0
   

5. Remove it when you're finished

   remove deletes the folder and its administrative files. Deleting the folder by hand instead leaves a stale entry, which prune clears.

   step 5Copy

   git worktree remove ../myrepo-hotfix
   
   # if you already deleted the folder manually:
   git worktree prune
   

Why this works

A clone's real content lives in .git — the object database plus the refs — and the files you edit are just one checkout of it. A worktree separates those two ideas: it creates another checkout backed by the same object database, holding only a small file pointing back at the original .git. That is why adding one is nearly instant even on a huge repository and why it costs almost no extra disk, unlike a second clone which duplicates every object and starts with its own detached history, its own remotes and its own stale reflog. The single restriction — one branch checked out at a time — exists because a branch is a single pointer, and two working trees advancing it independently would silently lose commits.

If that didn’t work

• 'is not a working tree' usually means the folder was deleted by hand: run git worktree prune.
• A worktree on an unplugged external drive blocks removal — git worktree prune clears the record.
• Locked worktrees need git worktree unlock <path> before they can be removed.
• Submodules are not shared between worktrees; run git submodule update --init inside the new one.

How to stop it happening again

• Keep worktrees as siblings of the main folder (../repo-hotfix) so they never end up committed by accident.
• Run git worktree list before you go hunting for a branch Git says is already checked out.
• Use git worktree remove rather than deleting folders, so no stale records accumulate.
• Prefer a worktree over a second clone — the reflog, remotes and objects stay in one place.

Commands used in this guide

Frequently asked questions