Quick Answer
If you want to force a git pull that overwrites your local changes, use:
git fetch --all
git reset --hard origin/main
Replace main with your actual branch name, e.g. master, dev, etc.
Alternative (Safe Option)
If you’re working in a team and want to avoid hard resets, you can stash your changes:
git stash
git pull
git stash pop
Why Does Git Refuse to Pull Sometimes?
When your local files have uncommitted changes that conflict with incoming changes from the remote, Git won’t let you pull. This is Git trying to protect your work — it assumes you might not want your local edits to be lost or overwritten.
Understanding the Hard Reset Approach
🔧 Command:
git fetch --all
git reset --hard origin/main
✅ What it does:
git fetch --allgets the latest changes from all remote branches without merging.git reset --hard origin/mainmoves your local branch pointer and working directory to match the remote — discarding any local changes.
⚠️ Warning:
This is destructive. Any uncommitted local work will be lost. Make sure you’ve either committed, stashed, or backed up your changes.
Safer Alternatives
If you don’t want to lose local edits but still need to pull:
1. Stash Local Changes
git stash
git pull
git stash pop
This temporarily hides your changes, pulls new changes from remote, and restores your changes afterward.
2. Commit Locally Before Pull
git add .
git commit -m "WIP"
git pull --rebase
This commits your local work, and Git tries to rebase incoming changes on top of it. If conflicts happen, you’ll get a chance to resolve them manually.
Best Practices for Avoiding Git Conflicts
- Always pull before you start editing.
- Commit frequently with meaningful messages.
- Use
git statusto stay aware of changes. - Never force reset on shared branches unless coordinated with your team.
Common Use Cases
| Scenario | Solution |
|---|---|
| You want to discard all local changes and match remote | git reset --hard origin/main |
| You want to keep your local changes temporarily | git stash + git pull |
| You’re working solo and okay with destructive updates | git fetch + git reset --hard |
| You want to avoid force pulls altogether | Use git pull --rebase after committing |