How to Rename a Branch in Gitlab

March 31, 2026·2 min read

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Here's how to rename a branch in Gitlab

Open your terminal or command line interface and navigate to your GitLab repository directory.
Execute the git branch -m command followed by the current branch name and the desired new branch name (for example: git branch -m bug-A bug-B).
Press Enter to execute the branch rename command.
Type git branch command to display all available branches in your repository.
Verify that your branch has been successfully renamed by checking the branch list output.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I rename a branch that I'm currently working on in GitLab?

Yes, you can rename the branch you're currently on by using the git branch -m command with just the new name. Git will automatically rename the current branch without needing to specify the old name.

Will renaming a branch in GitLab affect merge requests or issues?

Renaming a local branch won't immediately affect existing merge requests since they reference the remote branch. You'll need to push the renamed branch and update any open merge requests to point to the new branch name.

What happens if I try to rename a branch to a name that already exists?

Git will prevent you from renaming a branch to a name that already exists in your repository. You'll receive an error message and the rename operation will be cancelled to avoid conflicts.