HEAD points to the top of the current branch. git can obtain the branch name from that. So it's the same as:
git push origin CURRENT_BRANCH_NAME
but you don't have to remember/type the current branch name. Also it prevents you from pushing to the wrong remote branch by accident.
If you want to push a different branch than the current one the command will not work.
Answer from hek2mgl on Stack Overflow Top answer 1 of 2
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HEAD points to the top of the current branch. git can obtain the branch name from that. So it's the same as:
git push origin CURRENT_BRANCH_NAME
but you don't have to remember/type the current branch name. Also it prevents you from pushing to the wrong remote branch by accident.
If you want to push a different branch than the current one the command will not work.
2 of 2
29
If you want to push into the specific remote branch you can run:
git push origin HEAD:<name-of-remote-branch>
This is what I encounter when I was trying to push my repo back to the remote branch.
Nick Janetakis
nickjanetakis.com › blog › use-git-push-origin-head-to-quickly-push-the-checked-out-branch
Use git push origin HEAD to Quickly Push the Checked Out Branch — Nick Janetakis
September 30, 2025 - It’s a little embarrassing because I only recently discovered you can run git push origin HEAD as a shortcut to push the current branch that you have checked out. This is great because it no longer means needing to remember individual branch names for each PR or project you’re working on.
git push origin head? - Stack Overflow
I had made some changes to a file under a git repo, I committed the files using git commit I then tried to push to master using git push origin master which returned Everything up-to-date I typed... More on stackoverflow.com
How to "git push origin HEAD:refs/for/master " for Gerrit repo in Sublime Merge
Hi, Unlike common git service, Gerrit requires “git push origin HEAD:refs/for/master” for Push for Code Review. But I can’t find a way to change the push destination in Sublime Merge GUI. I also try to edit the git config file: [remote "origin"] push = master:refs/for/master However, ... More on forum.sublimetext.com
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January 5, 2023what is the difference between remotes/origin/HEAD and remotes/origin/master ?
Refs come in two flavors: regular and symbolic. Regular refs are pointers to commits (or other things, but that's another thread). master is a great example; cat .git/refs/heads/master will usually give you the hash of a commit object. Symbolic refs point to other refs, to identify them as special in some way. HEAD is the most famous one, but not necessarily the only one. cat .git/HEAD gives you something like this: ref: refs/heads/master In your local repo, HEAD is used to tell which branch to move when we make a new commit. For a remote repo, HEAD is instead used to tell new clones which branch to use as their local HEAD. Mostly this is master, but it doesn't have to be. Does that make sense? More on reddit.com
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June 21, 2016What is “git push origin master?”
Basically ... If you are programming, for example, a web application, your code should be stored in a code repository. The repository allows you to check out a copy of the code from the Master branch (I'm way oversimplifying here) so you can work on a copy without messing up the Master code. The Master code is what is running live, for example on Reddit.com or Google.com - it's perfect, pristine, tested, and should not be changed directly. Usually what happens is developers will check out a branch that is forked from a sub-branch of Master, often "Develop", and that even has a sub-copy. For example you might be actually working on branch 898 which is a copy of Develop, which is a copy of Master (again, way over simplified) When you are done, you ask other people to review and test your code, then you merge it back to Develop. That code is then tested in combination with all the other developers doing the same thing. If everything looks good, then it goes through a process to get it to Master, and then go live. Pushing your local code to Master pretty much bypasses all testing, all checking for problems, and pretty much fucks up the whole application. You may have seen in that thread people were saying to also Rebase the code, which then erases all the logs of all changes made, which is basically a big disaster. The whole point of GIT is to allow people to see what changes were made, push them live, or - critically - back them out if something goes wrong. Pushing your unfinished code to Master and Rebasing it pretty will cause a ton of work for the rest of the development team and likely crash the site too. More on reddit.com
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February 13, 2019Videos
02:54
What Does Git Push Origin HEAD Do? - Next LVL Programming - YouTube
02:34
Use git push origin HEAD to Quickly Push the Checked Out Branch ...
06:43
Git Commands: what is commit pull push origin master? - YouTube
24:38
How to use the git remote add origin command | TheServerSide
Git
git-scm.com › docs › git-push
Git - git-push Documentation
For example, to default to pushing only the current branch to origin use git config remote.origin.push HEAD.
Linux Hint
linuxhint.com › git-push-origin-head-mean
What does “git push origin HEAD” mean – Linux Hint
To push the local branch into the remote branch with the same name, first, run the “cd” command to move to the working repository, create and track a new file into the repository. Then, update the repository by committing added changes and run the “$ git push <remote-name> HEAD” command.
Warp
warp.dev › terminus › understanding-git-push-origin
Warp: Understanding Git Push Origin
January 31, 2024 - TIP: If you’re sure you’re ... to type it out. The git push origin HEAD command will push the current branch to the remote counterpart on github or some other ......
GitHub
github.com › jj-vcs › jj › discussions › 3135
`git push origin HEAD:main` as a jj one-liner? · jj-vcs/jj · Discussion #3135
I also happen to work primarily with git repos where I am the primary committer and I tend to push directly to the main branch on github, so I don't usually make PRs for my own work. In git I use git push origin HEAD:main when I've got a stack of commits to push up.
Author jj-vcs
GitHub
docs.github.com › en › get-started › using-git › pushing-commits-to-a-remote-repository
Pushing commits to a remote repository - GitHub Docs
As an example, you usually run git push origin main to push your local changes to your online repository.
Delft Stack
delftstack.com › home › howto › git › git push origin head
How to Push Origin Head in Git | Delft Stack
March 11, 2025 - This command pushes your local branch changes to the remote repository named “origin.” · Can I push multiple branches at once? Yes, you can push all branches at once using the command git push –all origin.
Gettinggit
gettinggit.com › learn › master-git-push
Learn Git - Master: git push
So, we can use HEAD as a way to keep the git push command consistent across different branches. While it's nice to be consistent, we really haven't shortened the command. Even if we don't pass the branch name to git push, Git will attempt to use the current branch.
Linux Man Pages Online
man.he.net › man1 › git-push
git-push
The default behavior of this command when no <refspec> is given can be configured by setting the push option of the remote, or the push.default configuration variable. For example, to default to pushing only the current branch to origin use git config remote.origin.push HEAD.
Graphite
graphite.com › guides › git-push-u-origin-command-guide
Understanding the git command "git push -u origin"
This pushes the current HEAD (or current branch) to the remote repository and tracks it. The command git push origin -u followed by a branch name is just a syntactic variation of git push -u origin.
Kapwing
kapwing.com › blog › how-to-rename-your-master-branch-to-main-in-git
How to Rename Your Master Branch to Main in Git
October 22, 2020 - git push origin HEAD: This will push your local main branch to the branch of the same name on the remote, in other words, this will create a new branch on the remote called main.
Sublime Forum
forum.sublimetext.com › t › how-to-git-push-origin-head-refs-for-master-for-gerrit-repo-in-sublime-merge › 66637
How to "git push origin HEAD:refs/for/master " for Gerrit repo in Sublime Merge - Technical Support - Sublime Forum
January 5, 2023 - Hi, Unlike common git service, Gerrit requires “git push origin HEAD:refs/for/master” for Push for Code Review. But I can’t find a way to change the push destination in Sublime Merge GUI.
Oliverjam
oliverjam.es › articles › git-push-friendlier
Making Git push a bit friendlier | oliverjam.com
$ git push --set-upstream origin example Branch 'example' set up to track remote branch 'example' from 'origin'. Everything up-to-date
Google Groups
groups.google.com › g › repo-discuss › c › Jo9NJp3xpOA
error while using " git push origin HEAD:refs/changes/xxxx "
March 9, 2023 - The "HEAD" refers to the commit ... number that Gerrit assigns to the change. To use this syntax, you would run a git push command with the remote and branch name, followed by the destination ref....
Sarthaks eConnect
sarthaks.com › 3682089 › what-does-the-git-push-origin-head-command-do
What does the git push origin HEAD command do? - Sarthaks eConnect | Largest Online Education Community
August 12, 2024 - LIVE Course for free · The git push origin HEAD command pushes the current branch to its corresponding branch on the remote repository
LinkedIn
linkedin.com › pulse › git-cheatsheet-manish-mani-dinkar
Git Cheatsheet
September 6, 2022 - git push branch-name or git push origin HEAD: Push your branch upstream. You can use either version; using origin HEAD is simply a more verbose way of pushing.
Linux Kernel
kernel.org › pub › software › scm › git › docs › git-push.html
git-push(1) Manual Page
For example, to default to pushing only the current branch to origin use git config remote.origin.push HEAD.
Top answer 1 of 5
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This is the Master branch. The main tree of your control system.
push = push your changes to the remote server
origin = remote Server origin
master = Master branch
If you have another remote branches you have something like "git push origin test" then you push your changes to the test remote branch.
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That master is the <src> part of a refspec.
This means that your local master branch will be pushed to the master branch of the remote origin (orgin/master).
If you would have specified
git push origin master:my_work
then you would have pushed your local master to origin/my_work.
If you don't use the :my_work part, then the destination defaults to the same branch as given as source.
Just specifying
git push origin
will push every local branch that has a matching remote branch to that branch per default. Not just the current branch.
This is the same as using git push origin :.
You can change this default with git config remote.origin.push HEAD,
which would push the current branch to a remote branch with the same name.
See configure-a-local-branch-for-push-to-specific-branch for further details on configuring refspecs and setting push.default.