Git Checkout vs Git Switch: The Upgrade You Didn’t Know You Needed

Are you still using git checkout for everything? It’s time to shake things up! Let me explain it this way:

Imagine you have an overworked employee (let’s call them "Checkout Charlie") who’s juggling switching branches, restoring files, detaching HEADs, and more—all at the same time. Inevitably, Charlie is going to mess up, not because they’re bad at their job, but because no one person can handle all that responsibility perfectly every time.

That’s exactly what git checkout was doing—trying to be everything for everyone. It was overloaded, confusing, and prone to causing mistakes. That’s why Git introduced two new specialists in the office:

Meet the Specialists: git switch and git restore

1. git switch:
2. git restore:

Why This Matters for Your Workflow

1. Fewer Mistakes: No more switching branches when you meant to restore a file—or vice versa.
2. Cleaner Workflow: Each command has one job, making your Git usage simpler and less stressful.
3. Productivity Boost: Clearer commands mean less time troubleshooting and more time building awesome things.

What You Can Do Today

• If you’re still using git checkout, start incorporating git switch and git restore into your daily workflow.
• Practice the most common scenarios (e.g., creating a branch with git switch -c new-branch or restoring a file with git restore file.txt).

Ready to fire “Checkout Charlie” and hire the specialists?

?? Read the full guide to learn exactly how to use these commands: https://blog.shakiltech.com/git-checkout-vs-git-switch/

Let me know: Have you already switched, or are you still relying on Charlie? ??