fatal: Not possible to fast-forward, aborting. — how to fix

hint: Diverging branches can't be fast-forwarded, you need to either:
hint:
hint: 	git merge --no-ff
hint:
hint: or:
hint:
hint: 	git rebase
hint:
hint: Disable this message with "git config advice.diverging false"
fatal: Not possible to fast-forward, aborting.

Quick fix: Choose how to combine the histories: git pull --rebase (linear history) or git pull --no-ff (merge commit). To set a default: git config --global pull.rebase true. If your local commits are junk, git reset --hard origin/<branch> (destroys them).

What it means

A fast-forward is possible only when your branch is strictly behind the remote: Git just moves your branch pointer forward. Here the branches have diverged — you made local commits and someone pushed other commits. Combining them needs a merge or rebase, and your config (pull.ff = only) or the --ff-only flag says "don't do that automatically".

See what diverged:

git fetch
git status                           # "have diverged, and have 2 and 3 different commits each"
git log --oneline --graph HEAD...origin/main

Fix 1: rebase your commits on top (linear history)

git pull --rebase
# resolve conflicts if any, then:
git add <files> && git rebase --continue
git push

Make it the default:

git config --global pull.rebase true

Fix 2: merge (keeps both histories)

git pull --no-ff
# or explicitly:
git fetch && git merge origin/main

Set as default with git config --global pull.rebase false.

Fix 3: check what is forcing fast-forward only

git config --show-origin --get-all pull.ff
git config --show-origin --get-all merge.ff

If you see only and didn't intend it, remove it:

git config --global --unset pull.ff

--ff-only is a sensible default for avoiding surprise merge commits; just know you'll need to choose rebase or merge whenever branches diverge.

Fix 4: you don't want your local commits

If the local commits were mistakes (or the remote was force-pushed and you want to match it):

git branch backup-mine           # optional safety copy
git reset --hard origin/main

reset --hard deletes uncommitted changes and local-only commits on that branch.

Fix 5: the remote was rewritten

If a teammate force-pushed (rebased or amended), your branch "diverges" from commits you already have under different hashes. Rebase while skipping the old copies:

git fetch
git rebase --onto origin/main <old-upstream-commit> main

Or, if you have no work of your own on top, simply git reset --hard origin/main.

Same error in merges

git merge --ff-only feature gives the same message when feature isn't a direct descendant of your current branch. Rebase feature onto the target first (git switch feature && git rebase main), then the fast-forward merge works.

Last updated 2026-10-31.