Organization owners control whether repository administrators can rename branches that are targeted by one or more branch rulesets. For existing organizations, this setting is off by default. For newly created organizations, this setting is on by default.
When this setting is enabled, repository administrators can rename these branches, provided the new branch name is still targeted by all the same organization rulesets as the current branch name. This ensures that rulesets cannot be circumvented through branch renaming.
Organization administrators can rename branches targeted by organization rulesets without restriction.
Note
Even with this setting enabled, changing the default branch of a repository still requires an organization administrator when organization rulesets are in play.
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In the upper-right corner of GitHub, click your profile picture, then click Organizations.
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Select an organization by clicking on it.
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Under your organization name, click Settings. If you cannot see the "Settings" tab, select the dropdown menu, then click Settings.
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In the "Access" section of the sidebar, click Member privileges.
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Under "Branch renames", select Allow repository administrators to rename branches protected by organization rules.
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Click Save.
