Git Remote Set-URL: Change Remote Repository URL [Examples]

git remote set-url changes the URL of an existing remote in your repository. You reach for it whenever you need to change a remote URL in Git, for example after you rename a repository, move it to a new account or organization, or want to switch origin from HTTPS to SSH. Because it edits the URL in place, git remote set-url is safer than removing and re-adding a remote, since your tracking branches and other settings stay intact.

This tutorial shows every common way to change a remote repository URL with real, tested output from git version 2.48.1.

git remote set-url - Quick Cheat Sheet

git remote set-url syntax

The command accepts three forms. This usage block is printed by Git itself when you call set-url without enough arguments:

usage: git remote set-url [--push] <name> <newurl> [<oldurl>]
   or: git remote set-url --add <name> <newurl>
   or: git remote set-url --delete <name> <url>

    --[no-]push           manipulate push URLs
    --[no-]add            add URL
    --[no-]delete         delete URLs

• <name> — the existing remote name, usually origin or upstream.
• <newurl> — the new repository URL (HTTPS or SSH).
• --push — operate on the push URL instead of the fetch URL.
• --add / --delete — add or remove a URL rather than replacing it.

For the full option list, see the official git remote documentation.

Step 1: View the current remote URL

Before you change anything, list the configured remotes and their URLs with git remote -v:

$ git remote -v
origin	https://github.com/olduser/myproject.git (fetch)
origin	https://github.com/olduser/myproject.git (push)

Every remote shows two lines: one for fetch (where Git pulls from) and one for push (where Git pushes to). Here the remote is named origin and points at an HTTPS URL.

Step 2: Change the remote URL with git remote set-url

To change the remote URL of origin, pass the remote name and the new URL. The command produces no output on success, so verify it afterwards with git remote -v:

$ git remote set-url origin https://github.com/newuser/myproject.git
$ git remote -v
origin	https://github.com/newuser/myproject.git (fetch)
origin	https://github.com/newuser/myproject.git (push)

You can also print just the URL of a single remote with git remote get-url:

$ git remote get-url origin
https://github.com/newuser/myproject.git

That is all it takes to change a Git remote URL. Your next git fetch, git pull, or git push automatically uses the new location.

Step 3: Confirm the new URL actually works

Changing the config is one thing; proving that pushes land at the new remote is another. The following is a fully reproducible sandbox that uses two local bare repositories (repo-1.git and repo-3.git) standing in for two GitHub remotes, so it runs without any network or credentials:

$ git remote get-url origin
/tmp/gturl/repo-1.git

$ git remote set-url origin /tmp/gturl/repo-3.git
$ git remote -v
origin	/tmp/gturl/repo-3.git (fetch)
origin	/tmp/gturl/repo-3.git (push)

$ git push -u origin main
To /tmp/gturl/repo-3.git
 * [new branch]      main -> main
branch 'main' set up to track 'origin/main'.

The commit now exists in the new remote, confirming the push followed the changed URL:

$ git --git-dir=/tmp/gturl/repo-3.git log --oneline
763e458 Add feature
09905b6 Initial commit

In your own project, simply replace the local paths with your real https://github.com/... or git@github.com:... URL.

Change remote URL from HTTPS to SSH (and back)

A very common reason to change a Git remote is switching the protocol. To move origin from HTTPS to an SSH URL:

$ git remote set-url origin git@github.com:newuser/myproject.git
$ git remote -v
origin	git@github.com:newuser/myproject.git (fetch)
origin	git@github.com:newuser/myproject.git (push)

To switch back from SSH to HTTPS, run the same command with the HTTPS form:

$ git remote set-url origin https://github.com/newuser/myproject.git
$ git remote -v
origin	https://github.com/newuser/myproject.git (fetch)
origin	https://github.com/newuser/myproject.git (push)

If you switch to SSH, make sure you have an SSH key added to your account first. If a push then fails with an authentication error, see could not read from remote repository for the fix.

Add a new remote instead of replacing it

Sometimes you want to keep the original remote and add a second one rather than change the existing URL. Use git remote add with a new name:

$ git remote add upstream https://github.com/org/myproject.git
$ git remote -v
origin	https://github.com/newuser/myproject.git (fetch)
origin	https://github.com/newuser/myproject.git (push)
upstream	https://github.com/org/myproject.git (fetch)
upstream	https://github.com/org/myproject.git (push)

Now you have both origin and upstream. This is the recommended pattern for forks: origin is your fork and upstream is the original project.

Set a separate push URL

A remote can fetch from one URL and push to a different one. Set a dedicated push URL with --push. Notice the fetch and push lines now differ:

$ git remote set-url --push origin git@github.com:newuser/myproject.git
$ git remote -v
origin	https://github.com/newuser/myproject.git (fetch)
origin	git@github.com:newuser/myproject.git (push)

Push to two remotes at once

To mirror every push to a second repository, add an extra push URL with --add --push. A single git push then writes to both:

$ git remote set-url --add --push origin git@gitlab.com:newuser/myproject.git
$ git remote -v
origin	https://github.com/newuser/myproject.git (fetch)
origin	git@github.com:newuser/myproject.git (push)
origin	git@gitlab.com:newuser/myproject.git (push)

List every push URL on the remote with git remote get-url --all --push:

$ git remote get-url --all --push origin
git@github.com:newuser/myproject.git
git@gitlab.com:newuser/myproject.git

Delete a push URL

Remove a single push URL with --delete --push:

$ git remote set-url --delete --push origin git@gitlab.com:newuser/myproject.git
$ git remote -v
origin	https://github.com/newuser/myproject.git (fetch)
origin	git@github.com:newuser/myproject.git (push)

Rename and remove a remote

You can rename a remote (and Git rewrites its tracking refs for you):

$ git remote rename upstream backup
$ git remote -v
backup	https://github.com/org/myproject.git (fetch)
backup	https://github.com/org/myproject.git (push)
origin	git@github.com:newuser/myproject.git (fetch)
origin	git@github.com:newuser/myproject.git (push)

To remove a remote entirely:

$ git remote remove backup
$ git remote -v
origin	git@github.com:newuser/myproject.git (fetch)
origin	git@github.com:newuser/myproject.git (push)

Change a remote URL via git config

git remote set-url is just a friendly wrapper around the remote settings stored in .git/config. You can update the remote URL directly with git config:

git config remote.origin.url https://github.com/newuser/myproject.git

To inspect what Git has stored for the remote:

$ git config --get-regexp '^remote\.origin\.'
remote.origin.url https://github.com/newuser/myproject.git
remote.origin.fetch +refs/heads/*:refs/remotes/origin/*
remote.origin.pushurl git@github.com:newuser/myproject.git

Note that a separate push URL is stored as remote.origin.pushurl. You can also open .git/config in an editor, find the [remote "origin"] block, and edit the url = line by hand — git remote set-url simply does this for you safely.

Fix "remote: This repository moved. Please use the new location"

When you rename a GitHub repository or transfer it to another account or organization, GitHub redirects the old URL but does not update your local configuration. A push still works but prints a warning like:

remote: This repository moved. Please use the new location: remote: https://github.com/newowner/newname.git

To stop the warning and point your local repo at the real location, copy the new URL from the message and run git remote set-url:

git remote set-url origin https://github.com/newowner/newname.git

Verify the change with git remote -v, and the "repository moved" message disappears on the next push.

Common git remote set-url errors and fixes

error: No such remote

$ git remote set-url nosuch https://github.com/newuser/myproject.git
error: No such remote 'nosuch'

The remote name does not exist. Run git remote -v to find the correct name (it is almost always origin) and retry.

error: remote origin already exists

$ git remote add origin https://github.com/x/y.git
error: remote origin already exists.

This happens when you try to git remote add a remote that is already configured. To change its URL instead, use git remote set-url origin <new-url> rather than adding it again.

usage error from set-url

If you forget the new URL, Git prints the usage block instead of changing anything:

$ git remote set-url origin
usage: git remote set-url [--push] <name> <newurl> [<oldurl>]
   or: git remote set-url --add <name> <newurl>
   or: git remote set-url --delete <name> <url>

Supply both the remote name and the new URL to fix it.

set-url vs remote add vs remove + add

In almost all cases git remote set-url is the right choice for changing a remote origin URL, because it preserves your upstream tracking configuration.

Summary

git remote set-url is the standard way to change a remote repository URL in Git. List your remotes with git remote -v, run git remote set-url origin <new-url> to point origin at the new location, and verify with git remote -v or git remote get-url origin. The same command switches between HTTPS and SSH, sets separate or additional push URLs, and fixes the "this repository moved" warning after a repo is renamed or transferred. Because it edits the URL in place, it keeps your tracking branches intact and is safer than removing and re-adding a remote.

Further Reading

• git remote - Official Git Documentation
• Managing remote repositories - GitHub Docs