fetch Git Command Guide

The git fetch command is used to download objects and refs from one or more remote repositories, along with the objects necessary to complete their histories. It updates remote-tracking branches and stores fetched information in .git/FETCH_HEAD.

git fetch Syntax:

git fetch [<options>] [<repository> [<refspec>...]]

Options:

Option	Description
—all	Fetch from all remotes
—append	Append to FETCH_HEAD instead of overwriting
—atomic	Use atomic transaction for ref updates
—depth=	Limit fetch depth
—deepen=	Deepen shallow repository
—shallow-since=	Include commits after date in shallow repo
—shallow-exclude=	Exclude commits from ref in shallow repo
—unshallow	Convert shallow to full repository
—dry-run	Show what would be done
—porcelain	Machine-readable output
-f, —force	Override safety checks
-k, —keep	Keep downloaded pack
—multiple	Fetch from multiple repositories
-p, —prune	Remove obsolete remote-tracking refs
-P, —prune-tags	Remove obsolete local tags
-t, —tags	Fetch all tags
-n, —no-tags	Don’t fetch tags automatically
—prefetch	Store refs in refs/prefetch namespace
—write-commit-graph	Write commit-graph after fetching
—refetch	Re-fetch everything for partial clones

Parameters:

Parameter	Description
[]	Remote repository to fetch from (default: origin)
[…]	Refs to fetch (default: configured fetch refspec)

git fetch Command Samples:

Fetch from default remote

git fetch

Fetch changes from the default remote (usually origin).

Fetch from specific remote

git fetch origin

Fetch from the origin remote.

Fetch specific branch

git fetch origin main

Fetch only the main branch from origin.

Fetch all remotes

git fetch --all

Fetch from all configured remotes.

Prune obsolete refs

git fetch --prune

Remove local remote-tracking refs that no longer exist remotely.

Shallow fetch with depth

git fetch --depth=1 origin

Fetch with shallow history of depth 1.

Dry run to see what would be fetched

git fetch --dry-run origin

Show what would be fetched without making changes.

Fetch all tags

git fetch --tags origin

Fetch all tags from origin in addition to normal refs.

Convert shallow to full repository

git fetch --unshallow origin

Convert a shallow clone to a full repository.

Atomic fetch with commit graph

git fetch --atomic --write-commit-graph origin

Use atomic transaction and write commit-graph for improved performance.

How do I update my local branches with remote changes?

To update your local branches with remote changes, run:

git fetch origin

How can I fetch from all remotes at once?

To fetch from all configured remotes, use:

git fetch --all

How do I clean up old remote-tracking branches?

To clean up old remote-tracking branches, use —prune:

git fetch --prune origin

How can I preview what fetch will do?

To preview what git fetch will do, use —dry-run:

git fetch --dry-run origin

How do I fetch a shallow copy?

To fetch a shallow copy with limited history, use —depth:

git fetch --depth=<n> origin

How can I make a shallow repository full?

To make a shallow repository full, use —unshallow:

git fetch --unshallow origin

How do I force a fetch that would otherwise be rejected?

To force a fetch that would be rejected due to safety checks, use —force:

git fetch --force origin

How can I fetch all tags from remote?

To fetch all tags from the remote, use —tags:

git fetch --tags origin

How do I prevent automatic tag fetching?

To prevent automatic tag fetching, use —no-tags:

git fetch --no-tags origin

Applications of the git fetch command

Updating repositories with remote changes before merging
Setting up tracking branches for collaboration
Managing multiple remote repositories in a project
Implementing continuous integration fetch operations
Creating backup and mirror repositories
Supporting distributed development workflows