error: Your local changes to the following files would be overwritten by checkout
Switching branches would discard uncommitted changes in files that differ between branches.
Exact message you may see
would be overwritten by checkoutPlease commit your changes or stash them before you switch branches
Seen on:
Git
Meaning
Commit, stash or discard first. git switch refuses for the same reason.
Common causes
- Uncommitted changes to files that differ on the target branch
- Generated/build files that are tracked in git
⚡ Quick fix
- Commit or stash: git stash && git switch other && git stash pop
- Or carry changes with git switch --merge (careful)
Detailed fix by platform
Git
git stash push -m "wip" && git switch release && git stash pop
How to diagnose
- Files — Which ones are listed?
- Recent change — Did it start after a deploy, upgrade, or configuration change? Compare with the last working version.
🔧 Still not fixed?
Many errors look alike. If the steps above didn’t solve it, one of these is probably what you’re facing:
Similar errors
Most viewed in Git
- Git SSL certificate problem fatal: unable to access 'https://…': SSL certificate problem: unable to get local issuer certificate
- unfinished merge fatal: You have not concluded your merge (MERGE_HEAD exists). Please, commit your changes before you merge.
- rebase in progress fatal: It seems that there is already a rebase-merge directory, and I wonder if you are in the middle of another rebase.
Other ways to find it
Where this error sits
Origin: Build & delivery. Errors that are often confused with or caused by this one (click to open):
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Last updated 13 Oct 2026