Resolving Git Merge Conflicts: A Practical Guide

Why Conflicts Happen

A merge conflict occurs when two branches modify the same line of a file differently. Git cannot decide which change to keep, so it asks you to choose.

Understanding Conflict Markers

When a conflict happens, Git edits the file with markers:

<<<<<<< HEAD
const timeout = 3000;
=======
const timeout = 5000;
>>>>>>> feature-branch

• <<<<<<< HEAD — your current branch's version
• ======= — divides the two versions
• >>>>>>> feature-branch — the incoming branch's version

Resolving Step by Step

# Start the merge
git merge feature-branch
# Git reports: CONFLICT in src/config.ts

# Open the conflicted file, find the markers, edit to keep the right code
# Remove the markers and the unwanted version

# Stage the resolved file
git add src/config.ts

# Complete the merge
git commit
# Git opens the default merge commit message — save and quit

Abort a Merge

If the conflict is too complex or you changed your mind:

git merge --abort
# Returns to the state before the merge started

Merge Tools

Visual tools make conflict resolution much easier:

# Use VS Code as merge tool
git config --global merge.tool vscode
git mergetool

VS Code shows a three-pane view: yours, theirs, and the merged result. Other popular tools include Beyond Compare, Kaleidoscope, and Meld.

Strategies to Minimize Conflicts

1. Pull frequently — staying up to date with main reduces conflict size
2. Communicate — tell your team when you are working on shared files
3. Small commits — smaller changes are easier to merge
4. Rebase before merge — git rebase main on your feature branch catches conflicts early

Conflicts are normal — they are Git's way of protecting your work from accidental overwrites.