How do I delete a local branch on Github Desktop?

Last week I upgraded my Windows Github to Github Desktop.

It is certainly a lot faster than that last update they made for Github Windows. It also has a nice little visual timeline of commits and maybe I am being dumb, but the ability to delete local branches seems to be gone.

Before it was under “manage branches” (also gone). Any idea?

Update:

In v3.0.5 they have added the option to delete local branches from the gear menu.

On Mac OSX:

for everyone having this problem with the latest version: Select the branch that you want to delete, go to "Branch" -> "Delete Branch"

On Windows:

Here's the answer I got from github CS when I contacted them about this:

>Thu 2015-08-13 3:38 PM Hi Daniel, Sorry about that! We'll be adding the option to delete branches back in an upcoming release. For now however, here's how you can delete a branch from the Git Shell: Hit ~ in GitHub Desktop to open up the repository in the Git Shell Run 'git branch -d branch_name' When you create a new branch you should see an option to publish it directly in the comparison graph. Let me know if that doesn't make sense or if you have more questions - thanks and sorry for the inconvenience! Robert

I've noticed there is a delay (about 2 or 3 minutes) between deleting the local branch in the shell and git desktop realizing the change.

UPDATE

In 3.0.5 They added Delete the current branch from the gear menu.

In GitHub Desktop, you can delete the current branch here:

With the following dialog allowing you to delete it from remote as well:

In desktop, make sure you are in the correct branch, and press "ctr+shift+D".This should delete the branch, this method works in windows; I cant confirm for other Linux/Mac.

I personally confirmed that, on the new version, advanced branch management has been removed, and you can only delete branches from the website.

As a personal recommendation, you should give Atlassian SourceTree a try. Works like a charm, it's free (requires a free registration), and even when it's originally developed to work with Atlassian's BitBucket repositories, it also works well with GitHub.

And BTW, with SourceTree, you can remove GitHub branches :)

Hope it helps!

Sometimes I have a strange behaviour with GitHub Desktop: when I delete a branch in GitHub Shell, the branch continues to shown into the drop-down menù of GitHub Desktop! ... same behaviour with the "Delete branch-name..." function of GitHub Desktop.

I solved with git show-refto list all refs

cf7c75b18e47a566f5bebccd3746f19fa426af4f refs/heads/master
cf7c75b18e47a566f5bebccd3746f19fa426af4f refs/remotes/origin/HEAD
540b3c8032f76ec13c84d6f40de885b996465dcb refs/remotes/origin/branch1
cf7c75b18e47a566f5bebccd3746f19fa426af4f refs/remotes/origin/branch2

when there are the ref to remote, GitHub Desktop can't delete at all the branch.

You can't remove a ref with git update-ref -d refs/remotes/origin/branch* and then you have

cf7c75b18e47a566f5bebccd3746f19fa426af4f refs/heads/master
cf7c75b18e47a566f5bebccd3746f19fa426af4f refs/remotes/origin/HEAD

Now you can remove the branc with git branch -d branch*

2021-July-28 Update

I'm pleased to see now that in Github Desktop (at least on Mac) you can not only right+click a branch name and choose delete from the list of branches,

but, you can also choose to delete the branch on the remote as well in the confirmation dialogue. Naturally you'll want to confirm that's the action you wish before doing so.

Original Command Line Instructions

I know this is a question about the GUI, but until the feature arrives, as a user of Github Desktop I find it easier to jump into the command line ctl + ^ and use the following. If you have a lot to delete it is easier than switching to each branch...

git branch -d <branch_name>

Right Click on branch which you want to delete it will show 3 options in that you have to click on delete.

Or if you want to delete current branch then select -> delete option from branch dropdown.