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Creating a branch to work on an issue

In this article

You can create a branch to work on an issue directly from the issue page and get started right away.

Note: The ability to create a branch for an issue is currently in public beta and subject to change.

About branches connected to an issue

Branches connected to an issue are shown under the "Development" section in the sidebar of an issue. When you create a pull request for one of these branches, it is automatically linked to the issue. The connection with that branch is removed and only the pull request is shown in the "Development" section. For more information, see "Linking a pull request to an issue."

Creating a branch for an issue

Anyone with write permission to a repository can create a branch for an issue. You can link multiple branches for an issue.

  1. On GitHub.com, navigate to the main page of the repository.

  2. Under your repository name, click Issues.

    Issues tab

  3. In the list of issues, click the issue that you would like to create a branch for.

  4. In the right sidebar under "Development", click Create a branch. If the issue already has a linked branch or pull request, click and at the bottom of the drop-down menu click Create a branch. Screenshot showing Create a branch option highlighted in sidebar

  5. By default, the new branch is created in the current repository from the default branch. Edit the branch name and details as required in the "Create a branch for this issue" dialog. Screenshot showing Create a branch dialog options

  6. Choose whether to work on the branch locally or to open it in GitHub Desktop.

  7. When you are ready to create the branch, click Create branch.