Git Pull

Last Updated : 9 May, 2026

Git pull is a command which is used to fetch and integrate the changes which are present in the remote repository to the local repository.

  • Git pull is a combination of git fetch and git merge.
  • It is used to update the local branch with changes from the remote repository branch.
  • Ensures that all developers have the latest code on their local machines.
  • Allows developers to work with newly updated code without conflicts.

Syntax

git pull [remote-name] [branch-name]
pull_request
Git Pull

Workflow of Git Pull

  • Illustrates the main Pull Request workflow.
  • Shows notifications sent to team members.
  • Highlights discussion and code review.
  • Indicates follow-up commits before merging.
  • Explains iterative collaboration prior to final merge.

Working of Git Pull

Git Pull is a command used to update the local version of a repository from a remote repository. It is a mixture of two other commands:

  1. git fetch
  2. git merge
  • Stage 1: git pull runs git fetch for the current branch (HEAD) to download changes.
  • Stage 2: It performs a merge, creating a new merge commit and updating HEAD.

Example: If a teammate adds New.txt to the remote, git pull fetches and merges it into your local repository.

Git Pull
  • A new file (crio.txt) is created and committed locally.
  • Push is attempted to the remote repository.
  • Git blocks the push due to missing remote updates.
  • Remote repository has commits not present locally.
  • Local branch must be updated before pushing.
Git Pull
Git Pull
  • git pull is used to fetch and merge changes from the remote repository.
  • It updates the local repository with missing remote commits.
  • origin refers to the default remote repository.
  • Use main (not master) as the branch: git pull origin main.
  • After updating locally, changes can be pushed successfully.

Git Pull and Syncing

Synchronizes the local repository with the remote repository by updating changes.

  • Updates the local repository with remote changes.
  • Maintains sync between local and remote repositories.
  • Git fetch: Retrieves changes from the remote without merging.
  • Git merge: Integrates fetched changes into the local branch.

Pulling via Rebase

If you want to maintain the your commits neat and linear order then you can use the Pulling via Rebase method follow the steps mentioned below.

Step 1: Lets consider your having the local commits with the names as

A---B---C

Step 2: Know fetch the changes that you want from the remote repository by using the following command. Fetch the changes form the remote origin.

git fetch origin main

Step 3: Pull changes via rebase by using the following command.

git pull --rebase origin main

Step 4: After completion of the git rebase.

Here the A--B--C are the commits which are available in the local repository and D---E---F are the changes form the remote repository. Know your local changes are on the top of the fetched changes.

A'--B'--C' (rebasing your changes)

\

D---E---F (remote branch)

Git Pull Examples

Example 1: To pull from the default remote and current branch

git pull

Example 2: Pulling From a Specific Remote and Branch

git pull <remote-name> <branch-name>

Example 3: Pulling and Rebasing.

git pull --rebase

Git Pull on Remotes

A shorthand command that fetches updates from a remote repository and integrates them into the local branch.

  • Combines git fetch with git merge (or rebase).
  • Retrieves the latest remote branch changes.
  • Updates the local repository automatically.
git pull

Git Pull Vs Git Fetch

Git Pull

Git Fetch

Git pull is the combination of two commands git fetch and git merge.

Git fetch command will fetch the remote repository to the local machine.

It will fetch the changes and merges with the repository.

It will only fetch the branch without any merge operation.

A more efficient method for updating your local branch is to use git pull.

Git fetch is frequently used as a first step before using 'git merge' to combine updates.

Comment
Article Tags:

Explore