How to fix error: Cannot delete branch 'feature' checked out at '/path/to/repo' in Git

First, verify your current branch and the state of your repository:

# See your current branch
git status

# Or use git branch to see all branches with current marked
git branch

The output will show your current branch with an asterisk (*):

main
* feature    <-- You're on this branch
  develop

If you're on the branch you want to delete, you'll need to switch to a different branch first.

If you're on the branch you want to delete, switch to another branch first:

# Switch to main branch
git checkout main
# Or using the newer switch command (Git 2.23+)
git switch main

# Now delete the branch
git branch -d feature

If the branch hasn't been merged and you're sure you want to delete it:

# Force delete an unmerged branch
git branch -D feature

Important: The -D flag (uppercase) bypasses the "not fully merged" safety check, but it does NOT bypass the "checked out" protection. You must always switch branches first.

If switching branches doesn't resolve the error, the branch may be checked out in a separate worktree. List all worktrees:

# List all worktrees
git worktree list

Sample output:

/home/user/project           abc1234 [main]
/home/user/project-feature   def5678 [feature]

The branch you're trying to delete might be checked out in another worktree location. The error message path should match one of these worktree paths.

If the branch is checked out in a worktree you no longer need, remove the worktree first:

# Remove a worktree (this doesn't delete the branch)
git worktree remove /path/to/worktree

# Or if the worktree directory is already deleted
git worktree prune

# Now you can delete the branch
git branch -d feature

If you still need the worktree but want to delete that branch:

# Navigate to the worktree
cd /path/to/worktree

# Switch to a different branch in that worktree
git checkout main

# Go back to main repo and delete the branch
cd /path/to/main/repo
git branch -d feature

If you manually deleted a worktree directory (e.g., using rm -rf) without using git worktree remove, Git may still think the branch is checked out:

# Prune references to worktrees that no longer exist
git worktree prune

# Verify the worktree is gone
git worktree list

# Now try deleting the branch again
git branch -d feature

The prune command cleans up stale worktree references from the .git/worktrees directory.

An in-progress rebase or bisect operation can lock a branch. Check your repository status:

git status

If you see "rebase in progress" or "You are currently bisecting":

For rebase:

# Complete or abort the rebase
git rebase --continue
# Or
git rebase --abort

For bisect:

# End the bisect session
git bisect reset

After resolving the in-progress operation, try deleting the branch again.

If you need to delete the branch but can't switch to another branch (for example, if it's the only branch), you can detach HEAD first:

# Detach HEAD by checking out the current commit
git checkout --detach

# Or checkout a specific commit
git checkout HEAD~0

# Now delete the branch
git branch -d feature

Warning: In detached HEAD state, any new commits won't belong to a branch. Create or checkout a branch before doing further work:

# Create a new branch from the current state
git checkout -b new-branch