git cherry-pick: Copy Commits from Another Branch (with Examples)

Sometimes you need just one commit from another branch, such as a bug fix for a release. git cherry-pick does exactly that. This lesson shows when to use it, how to pick single commits and ranges, useful options, conflicts and common real-world uses.

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🍒 What Is git cherry-pick?

git cherry-pick copies one specific commit (or a few) from another branch and applies it to your current branch as a new commit. Unlike merge, it does not bring the whole branch, just the commits you pick.

main:      C1 ── C2 ── C3
                  \
feature:           F1 ── F2 (bug fix) ── F3

git switch main && git cherry-pick F2

main:      C1 ── C2 ── C3 ── F2'     (same change as F2, new hash)

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🧪 When to Use It

• Backport a bug fix from main to a release branch (release/2.3) without the new features.
• Take one useful commit from a teammate’s experimental branch.
• Recover a commit that ended up on the wrong branch.

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▶️ Cherry-Pick One Commit

git log --oneline feature/login-fixes    # find the commit hash
# 4d5e6f7 Fix flaky wait in login test

git switch release/2.3
git cherry-pick 4d5e6f7

[release/2.3 9a8b7c6] Fix flaky wait in login test
 Date: Thu Oct 30 11:20:05 2026 +0530
 1 file changed, 2 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-)

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🔢 Several Commits and Ranges

git cherry-pick a1b2c3d e4f5a6b          # specific commits, applied in order
git cherry-pick a1b2c3d..e4f5a6b         # range: AFTER a1b2c3d up to e4f5a6b
git cherry-pick a1b2c3d^..e4f5a6b        # range INCLUDING a1b2c3d

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⚙️ Useful Options

Option	Effect
-x	Adds “(cherry picked from commit …)” to the message: great for traceability on release branches
-n (--no-commit)	Applies the changes without committing, so you can combine or edit them first
-e (--edit)	Edit the commit message before committing
-m 1	Cherry-pick a merge commit, using parent 1 as the base

git cherry-pick -x 4d5e6f7

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🧯 Conflicts During Cherry-Pick

If the change does not apply cleanly, Git stops with a conflict:

git cherry-pick 4d5e6f7
# CONFLICT (content): Merge conflict in tests/login.spec.ts
# edit the file to resolve, then:
git add tests/login.spec.ts
git cherry-pick --continue

Command	Effect
git cherry-pick --continue	Finish after resolving
git cherry-pick --skip	Skip this commit (when picking several)
git cherry-pick --abort	Cancel and return to the state before

See Resolve Merge Conflicts for resolving the files themselves.

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🔄 Move a Commit to the Right Branch

Committed to main by mistake (and not pushed)?

git log --oneline -1               # note the hash, e.g. 7f8e9d0
git switch -c feature/new-tests    # create the correct branch (it starts with the commit)
git switch main
git reset --hard HEAD~1            # remove the commit from main

Or, if the target branch already exists: switch to it, git cherry-pick 7f8e9d0, then remove it from main with git reset --hard HEAD~1 (only if not pushed; see Undo Changes).

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🌐 Cherry-Pick and GitHub

GitHub has no cherry-pick button for pull requests, but the workflow is simple: cherry-pick locally onto a new branch based on the release branch, push it, and open a pull request into the release branch. Many teams automate backports with a bot or a GitHub Action.

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📝 Assignment

1. Create feature/x with three commits. On main, cherry-pick only the second one and check git log --oneline.
2. Cherry-pick a range of two commits including the first one (A^..B syntax).
3. Cherry-pick with -x and read the generated message.
4. Use -n to apply two commits without committing, then make one combined commit.
5. Cause a conflict during a cherry-pick, resolve it and continue; then repeat and abort.
6. Commit to main by mistake and move the commit to a new branch.

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❓ FAQ

🤔 What does git cherry-pick do?

It applies the changes of one or more existing commits onto your current branch as new commits.

🤔 How do I cherry-pick a commit from another branch?

Find the hash with git log other-branch, switch to your target branch and run git cherry-pick <hash>.

🤔 How do I cherry-pick multiple commits?

List them (git cherry-pick a b c) or use a range: git cherry-pick A^..B includes A, A..B starts after A.

🤔 How do I abort a cherry-pick?

git cherry-pick --abort returns to the state before the cherry-pick started.

🤔 What is the difference between cherry-pick and merge?

Merge brings all commits of a branch and records the integration. Cherry-pick copies only the commits you choose, as new commits with new hashes.

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🎯 Next Steps

• 🏷️ Git Tags and Versioning
• 🔃 Pull Requests Step by Step
• 📘 Git and GitHub Tutorial: full course