Delete a Git branch

Azure DevOps Services | Azure DevOps Server | Azure DevOps Server 2022

Visual Studio 2019 | Visual Studio 2022

This article describes how to delete local and remote Git branches by using the Azure DevOps web portal, Visual Studio, or the Git command line.

Note

Deleting a branch in your local repo doesn't remove the branch on the remote.

Prerequisites

Category	Requirements
Project access	Member of a project.
Permissions	- View code in private projects: At least Basic access. - Clone or contribute to code in private projects: Member of the Contributors security group or corresponding permissions in the project. - Set branch or repository permissions: Manage permissions for the branch or repository. - Set branch policies, status checks, or change the default branch: Edit policies permission for the repository or branch, or membership in the Project Administrators security group. - Import a repository: Member of the Project Administrators security group or Git project-level Create repository permission set to Allow. For more information, see Set Git repository permissions.
Services	Repos enabled.
Tools	Optional. Use `az repos` commands: Azure DevOps CLI.

Category	Requirements
Project access	Member of a project.
Permissions	- View code: At least Basic access. - Clone or contribute to code: Member of the Contributors security group or corresponding permissions in the project.
Services	Repos enabled.

The following requirements depend on whether you delete a local or remote branch:

Category	Requirements
Local branch	Check out a different branch before you delete the branch. Azure DevOps permissions, policies, and locks don't apply when you delete only a local branch.
Remote branch permission	Have the branch-level Force push (rewrite history, delete branches and tags) permission set to Allow. This requirement applies whether you delete the remote branch in the web portal, Visual Studio, or from the command line. Branch creators receive this permission by default unless the permission assignment is changed.
Required branch policies	Disable or remove all required branch policies before you delete the branch. You need the Edit policies permission or membership in the Project Administrators security group to manage branch policies.
Default branch	Set another branch as the repository's default branch before you delete the current default branch.
Locked branch	Unlock the branch before you delete it. To unlock a branch that another user locked, you need the Remove others' locks permission.

If Delete branch isn't available, check your effective Force push permission and verify that the branch has no required policies, isn't the repository's default branch, and isn't locked.

Delete branch

View your repo's branches by selecting Repos > Branches while viewing your repo on the web.
Select the More options button at the end of the row of the branch you want to delete.
In the options menu, select Delete branch.
In the Delete branch dialog box, select Delete.

To delete a branch, follow these steps:

From the Git menu on the menu bar, choose Manage Branches.
Under Branches, right-click a branch and select Delete. If you have unpublished changes, Visual Studio asks if you're sure you want to delete the branch.

Visual Studio 2019 version 16.8 and later versions provides a Git version control experience while maintaining the Team Explorer Git user interface. To use Team Explorer, uncheck Tools > Options > Preview Features > New Git user experience from the menu bar. You can exercise Git features from either interface interchangeably.

Open up Team Explorer and go to the Branches view.
Locate the branch you want to delete. Remember that you can't delete a branch you're currently working in.
Right-click the branch name and select Delete. Visual Studio will ask if you're sure you want to delete the branch if you have unpublished changes.

You can delete a remote branch using the same method. Locate the tree for the remote in Team Explorer's Branches view (such as remotes/origin), right-click, and select Delete.

Delete a local branch using the git branch -d command while checked out to a different branch.

git branch -d <branch_name>

Deleting a remote branch requires use of the git push command using the --delete option.

git push origin --delete <branch_name>

Next steps

Restore a deleted branch

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Last updated on 2026-08-13