What is the difference between git switch and git checkout <branch>?

Before Git 2.23, the git checkout command did too many things:

• Switching branches
• Restoring files
• Creating new branches

This caused confusion and accidental file overwrites. So Git 2.23 introduced two safer, focused commands:
git switch and git restore.

 git switch : For Branch Operations

Used only for switching or creating branches.

Examples:

git switch main              # switch to main branch
git switch -c feature-login  # create and switch to a new branch 

Simpler & safer: It won’t accidentally overwrite files.
Clear intent: It’s only for branch operations.

git checkout : Multi-purpose (Older)

Used for branch switching, file restore, and more.

Examples:

git checkout main                # switch branch
git checkout feature-login -- app.js  # restore file from another branch 

Downside: Too powerful and confusing, one mistyped command can reset changes unintentionally.

Before Git 2.23, the git checkout command was used for many different tasks switching branches, restoring files or even detaching HEAD.
This made it confusing and risky, since one wrong command could overwrite changes.

To fix this, Git 2.23 introduced two new commands:

• git switch : specifically for switching branches
• git restore : specifically for restoring files

Before Git version 2.23, the command git checkout was used for two different purposes:

1. Switching between branches.
2. Restoring files to a previous state.

This dual purpose made checkout a bit confusing and error-prone for many users.

To make Git simpler and safer, version 2.23 introduced two new, specialized commands:

• git switch : for branch operations
• git restore : for file operations

git switch

Used only for branch management : to switch, create or move between branches.

Examples:

git switch feature-login        # switch to an existing branch
git switch -c feature-signup    # create and switch to a new branch 

• Easier to understand.
•  Prevents accidental file overwrites.
•  Designed to be user-friendly for daily branch operations.

 git checkout

A multi-purpose command that can:

• Switch branches
• Restore files
• Checkout specific commits or tags

Examples:

git checkout feature-login      # switch branch
git checkout -b feature-signup  # create new branch
git checkout -- index.html      # restore file 

More powerful but can be confusing. it’s easy to mix up file restore vs. branch switch.

 In Short

• Use git switch for clean, safe branch switching and creation.
• Use git checkout only if you need its advanced options (like checking out commits or files).