How do I rename a Git repository?

Question

git mv renames a file or directory in a repository. How do I rename the Git repository itself?

Answer 1

In 2025, there are much quicker ways to rename repository.

For example, here is quick way to rename Azure repository:

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/repos/git/repo-rename?view=azure-devops&tabs=browser

Answer 2

There are various possible interpretations of what is meant by renaming a Git repository: the displayed name, the repository directory, or the remote repository name. Each requires different steps to rename.

Displayed Name

Rename the displayed name (for example, shown by gitweb):

1. Edit .git/description to contain the repository's name.
2. Save the file.

Repository Directory

Typically (with exceptions for worktrees and submodules explained below), Git does not reference the name of the directory containing the repository, so we can simply rename or move it:

1. Open a command prompt (or file manager window).
2. Change to the directory that contains the repository directory (i.e., do not go into the repository directory itself).
3. Rename the directory (for example, using mv from the command line or the F2 hotkey from a GUI).

Moving a repository that has worktrees

If you have created worktrees using the git worktree subcommands from the repository that is to be renamed, then each worktree directory will contain a .git file that contains

gitdir: {full-path-to-parent-repository}/.git/worktrees/{worktree-name}

So if you move the location of the parent repository, for each such worktree you will also need to edit its .git file to change the parent path.

Moving a directory that is a worktree

Use the git worktree move command from the parent repository.

Moving a repository that has submodules

Similarly to the worktree case, the submodule directory has a .git file pointing to its parent. The parent also has a .git/modules/{submodule}/config file which may contain absolute paths that need to be edited. See also this question.

Renaming a submodule

Use git mv as discussed in this answer.

Corner cases involving both submodules and worktrees

Don't do that. If you must, read the docs for git worktree repair and probably also the docs for submodules to understand how they are implemented.

Remote Repository

Rename a remote repository as follows:

1. Go to the remote host (for example, https://github.com/User/project).

2. Follow the host's instructions to rename the project (will differ from host to host, but usually Settings is a good starting point).

3. Go to your local repository directory (i.e., open a command prompt and change to the repository's directory).

4. Determine the new URL (for example, git@github.com:User/project-new.git)

5. Set the new URL using Git:

   git remote set-url origin git@github.com:User/project-new.git
   

Answer 3

1. Go to the remote host (e.g., https://github.com/<User> ).
2. Open repository
3. Click tab Settings.
4. Rename under Repository name (and press button Rename).

Answer 4

It's ambiguous what you mean by "renaming a git repository itself", but one interpretation of that is changing the URL of a remote git repository.

git remote set-url origin url

https://www.commands.dev/workflows/change_url_of_remote_git_repository

I bookmarked ^ page, it tells me the command and allows me play around with the parameters. Super useful, IMO.

Answer 5

@Parison

Server Side: mv oldName.git newName.git
Client Side: ./.git/config change [remote "origin"] | url to newName.git

Answer 6

This is an extremely simple solution, though some may consider it "inelegant" or a "hack", and it belies my git inexpertise.

1. Verify that your local repo has everything committed and pushed (to remote origin).
2. Go to the website of the remote host (for example, https://github.com/User/project-original-name). Follow the host's instructions to rename the repo (will differ from host to host, but usually Settings is a good starting point). (For the purposes of this guide, suppose you renamed your repo to "project-new-name".)
3. Locally remove your whole repo (e.g., rm -r project-original-name).
4. Do a "fresh checkout": git clone https://github.com/User/project-new-name

NOTE: If another user of the repo doesn't follow these instructions, and just does a pull in the future, I have no idea what effect this will have.

Answer 7

With Github As Your Remote

Renaming the Remote Repo on Github

Regarding the remote repository, if you are using Github or Github Enterprise as the server location for saving/distributing your repository remotely, you can simply rename the repository directly in the repo settings.

From the main repo page, the settings tab is on the right, and the repo name is the first item on the page:

Github will redirect requests to the new URL

One very nice feature in Github when you rename a repo, is that Github will save the old repo name and all the related URLs and redirect traffic to the new URLs. Since your username/org and repo name are a part of the URL, a rename will change the URL.

Since Github saves the old repo name and redirects requests to the new URLs, if anyone uses links based on the old repo name when trying to access issues, wiki, stars, or followers they will still arrive at the new location on the Github website. Github also redirects lower level Git commands like git clone, git fetch, etc.

More information is in the Github Help for Renaming a Repo

Renaming the Local Repo Name

As others have mentioned, the local "name" of your repo is typically considered to be the root folder/directory name, and you can change that, move, or copy the folder to any location and it will not affect the repo at all.

Git is designed to only worry about files inside the root folder.

Answer 8

Have you try changing your project name in package.json and execute command git init to reinitialize the existing Git, instead?

Your existing Git history will still exist.

Answer 9

Open git repository on browser, got to "Setttings", you can see rename button.

Input new "Repository Name" and click "Rename" button.

Answer 10

This worked for me on Windows 10, via the command line:

git checkout <oldname>
git branch -m <newname>

From How To Rename a Local and Remote Git Branch

This was a local-only repository (not on any remotes).

Answer 11

If you are using GitLab or GitHub, then you can modify those files graphically.

Using GitLab

Go to your project Settings. There you can modify the name of the project and most importantly you can rename your repository (that's when you start getting in the danger section).

Once this is done, local clients configurations must be updated using

git remote set-url origin sshuser@gitlab-url:GROUP/new-project-name.git

Answer 12

For Amazon AWS codecommit users,

aws codecommit update-repository-name --old-name MyDemoRepo --new-name MyRenamedDemoRepo

Reference: here

Answer 13

Git itself has no provision to specify the repository name. The root directory's name is the single source of truth pertaining to the repository name.

The .git/description though is used only by some applications, like GitWeb.

Answer 14

To rename any repository of your GitHub account:

1. Go to that particular repository which you want to rename
2. Navigate to the settings tab
3. There, in the repository name section, type the new name you want to put and click Rename

Answer 15

• On the server side, just rename the repository with the mv command as usual:

  mv oldName.git newName.git
  

• Then on the client side, change the value of the [remote "origin"] URL into the new one:

  url=example.com/newName.git
  

It worked for me.

Answer 16

If you meant renaming your repository, go to your repository and click "admin", then rename.

Once you see the red box warning you about some sky-fallingness and other things, go read this question.

Answer 17

In a new repository, for instance, after a $ git init, the .git directory will contain the file .git/description.

Which looks like this:

Unnamed repository; edit this file 'description' to name the repository.

Editing this on the local repository will not change it on the remote.

Answer 18

A Git repository doesn't have a name. You can just rename the directory containing your worktree if you want.

Answer 19

The main name change is here (img 1), but also change readme.md (img 2)

Answer 20

To be simple, just remove that Eclipse Project (not choose content on disk), then re-import the project again.

Eclipse will identify the project connected to Git and put it in Git perspective view.

It works like a charm.

Answer 21

If you are in Eclipse and have installed Egit then you can rename the repository that contains a project by doing the following:

1) In Eclipse: Close all projects that are in the repository.

2) In the file system: Locate the directory/folder that contains the repository.

3) In the file system: Rename the directory/folder that contains the repository.

4) In the file system: Open the directory/folder that contains the repository and rename the project directory/folder of any project you intend to rename so that it will match the new name of the project. (This is not required but it gives consistency between the project name in Eclipse and the project directory/folder in the repository.)

5) In Eclipse: Delete all projects that are in the repository but be sure to NOT check the 'Delete the contents from the file system' checkbox. (The project should no longer contain the correct location of the contents of the file system so the data could not be deleted in any case but it is better to be safe than sorry.)

6) In Eclipse: From the Menu select the File|Import... option.

7) In Eclipse: In dialog box open the 'Git' folder, select 'Projects from Git' and click 'Next'.

8) In Eclipse: In dialog box select 'Local' and click 'Next'.

9) In Eclipse: In dialog box click the 'Add...' button.

10) In Eclipse: In dialog box make sure the check box next to the repository is checked and click 'Finish'.

11) In Eclipse: In dialog box select the repository and click 'Next'.

12) In Eclipse: In dialog box select the 'Import existing projects' radio button, select the "Working Directory" and click 'Next'.

13) In Eclipse: In dialog box check the check box next to the projects you want to work on and click 'Finish'.

14) In Eclipse: Rename any the projects that are in the repository if so desired. (For consistency between Eclipse and the file system give them the same name as the project directory/folder inside the repository directory/folder.)

Answer 22

Rename PRJ0.git to PROJ1.git, then edit the URL variable located in the .git/config file of your project.