Cherry-Picking Specific Commits

What Is Cherry-Pick?

git cherry-pick applies the changes introduced by one or more existing commits onto the current branch. Unlike a merge or rebase — which integrate an entire branch — cherry-pick is surgical: you choose exactly which commits to replay.

git cherry-pick abc1234                    # apply one commit
git cherry-pick abc1234 def5678            # apply multiple commits in order
git cherry-pick abc1234..ghi9012           # apply a range (exclusive start)
git cherry-pick abc1234^..ghi9012         # apply a range (inclusive start)

Common Use Cases

• Backport a bugfix — a fix landed on main but you need it on a release/2.x support branch too.
• Salvage work from a doomed branch — pick only the commits worth keeping before discarding the rest.
• Share a utility commit — a teammate wrote a helper you need without merging their entire in-progress branch.

Handling Cherry-Pick Conflicts

If the cherry-picked changes conflict with the current branch, Git pauses and marks the conflicting files just like a merge conflict. Resolve the markers, then:

git add <resolved-file>
git cherry-pick --continue    # finish applying the commit
# or, to abandon:
git cherry-pick --abort