If you are a developer, you may have come across the "The following untracked working tree files would be overwritten by merge" error message while merging branches. This error occurs when Git detects that the changes you are trying to merge would overwrite uncommitted changes in your working directory. In this guide, we will show you how to resolve this error effectively.
What is a Merge Conflict?
A merge conflict occurs when Git is unable to automatically merge changes between two branches. This happens when two or more developers make different changes to the same file or lines of code. Git does not know which changes to keep and which to discard, so it stops the merge process and asks for manual intervention.
How to Resolve the 'The Following Untracked Working Tree Files Would be Overwritten' Error
When Git detects that the changes you are trying to merge would overwrite uncommitted changes in your working directory, it stops the merge process and displays the following error message:
error: The following untracked working tree files would be overwritten by merge:
file1.txt
file2.txt
file3.txt
Please move or remove them before you merge.
Aborting
To resolve this error, you need to do the following:
Save your uncommitted changes: Before you can merge your changes, you need to save your uncommitted changes. You can do this by committing your changes or stashing them. To commit your changes, run the following command:
git add .
git commit -m "Your commit message"
To stash your changes, run the following command:
git stash save "Your stash message"
Move or remove the conflicting files: After you have saved your uncommitted changes, you need to move or remove the conflicting files. You can move the files to a different location outside your working directory or remove them completely. To move the files, run the following command:
mkdir backup
mv file1.txt file2.txt file3.txt backup/
To remove the files, run the following command:
rm file1.txt file2.txt file3.txt
Merge your changes: After you have saved your uncommitted changes and moved or removed the conflicting files, you can now merge your changes. To merge your changes, run the following command:
git merge <branch-name>
Replace <branch-name> with the name of the branch you want to merge.
FAQ
What causes a merge conflict?
A merge conflict occurs when two or more developers make different changes to the same file or lines of code.
How do I know if I have a merge conflict?
Git will display a merge conflict message when it is unable to automatically merge changes between two branches.
Can I resolve a merge conflict without manual intervention?
No, you need to manually resolve a merge conflict by editing the conflicting files and choosing which changes to keep and which to discard.
What is the difference between committing and stashing changes?
Committing changes saves them permanently to your repository, while stashing changes saves them temporarily in a stash stack that you can apply later.
Can I merge two conflicting branches without resolving the conflict?
No, you need to resolve the conflict before you can merge the two conflicting branches.