Merging from Remotes

What

After using git fetch to download commits from a remote, you must merge the remote branch into your local branch to actually apply those changes to your active working directory files.

How

Switch to the local branch you want to receive the changes, and execute git merge using the remote-tracking branch name:

# Switch to your local base branch
git switch main

# Merge the fetched changes from the remote branch into your active branch
git merge origin/main

If your local branch contains no new commits since you originally fetched, Git will execute a clean, fast-forward merge, updating your working directory files instantly.

Why

Collaboration requires constantly integrating team modifications. Git splits this synchronization process into two logical steps—fetch (download data safely) and merge (apply data to your files)—giving you complete control over when and how remote changes are integrated into your local active workspace.

Note: The combined operation of running git fetch followed immediately by git merge is what the command git pull does under the hood.

Summary

Integrate fetched remote changes by switching to your local target branch and executing git merge <remote>/<branch> to update your active files.