Why Git Added git switch and git restore to Replace git checkout

Background

git checkout has long served both branch switching and file restoration, causing confusion for newcomers.

New Commands in Git 2.23

Git 2.23 introduced git switch and git restore to separate these responsibilities, aiming to simplify the workflow.

Branch Management with git switch

Traditional commands:

git checkout <branch>
git checkout -b <branch>

Replaced by:

git switch <branch>
git switch -c <branch>

Examples:

$ git switch my-feature
Switched to branch 'my-feature'
Your branch is up to date with 'origin/my-feature'

$ git switch -c my-new-feature
Switched to a new branch 'my-new-feature'

Switch can also create a branch from a specific commit:

$ git switch -c my-new-feature 0810beaed7
Switched to a new branch 'my-new-feature'

File Restoration with git restore

git restore

focuses on restoring file contents, with options to affect the working tree, the index, or both.

Key forms:

git restore --worktree --staged <path>
git restore --source HEAD~3 --staged --worktree main.c

By default it restores from the index; using --source you can specify another commit.

Note: --no-overlay vs --overlay control whether missing tracked files are deleted.

Conclusion

The new commands provide clearer, more focused operations, reducing the cognitive load of git checkout and helping users adopt best practices for branch handling and file recovery.