Blog: Switching from master to main

Author: rwaffen

_posts/2026-03-20-master-to-main.md

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+---
+layout: post
+title: Group Project: Switching from `master` to `main`
+date: 2026-03-20
+github_username: rwaffen
+---
+
+Hi @everyone 👋, we have a large number of repositories, and we want to establish a clear and consistent standard for how we name our default branches across the organization.
+
+This is not only about using inclusive language, but also about improving clarity, reducing confusion, and aligning with current defaults such as main on GitHub.
+
+Since this change can involve a fair amount of work, we’d like to approach it collaboratively and involve everyone in the process.
+
+If you touch any repository and got some extra time to spend, please switch the default branch to `main` and update your local clones accordingly.
+
+<!-- TODO: Can everyone do this or do we need some special rights to do this? -->
+If you are a repository maintainer you can switch the default branch in the repository settings on GitHub.
+See the GitHub documaentation to this: <https://docs.github.com/en/repositories/configuring-branches-and-merges-in-your-repository/managing-branches-in-your-repository/renaming-a-branch>
+
+The commands to update your local clone are as follows:
+
+```shell
+git branch -m master main
+git fetch origin
+git branch -u origin/main main
+git remote set-head origin -a
+```
+
+Thx for your help! If you have any questions, feel free to ask.
+
+Cheers,
+@rwaffen