About forks
Forks are like independent copies of repositories. Unlike branches, forks give you more freedom to experiment without affecting the original project. Unlike cloned or duplicated repositories, changes from forks can be merged back into the upstream repository via pull requests, similar to a branch.
When you view a forked repository on GitHub, the upstream repository is indicated below the name of the fork.
What makes forks distinct from branches
Each fork is a complete repository with its own:
- Branches
- Members and discussions
- Issues and pull requests
- Actions and projects
- Tags, labels, and wikis
When to use a fork
There are times when a fork may be a better fit for your task than a branch would be. A fork might be better:
- To experiment safely without affecting the original project
- To create separate space for discussions unrelated to a project's main goals
- When you might want to make your work an independent repository later
Which repositories can be forked?
You can fork a private or internal repository to your personal account or to an organization on GitHub where you have permission to create repositories, provided that the settings for the repository and your enterprise policies allow forking.
Generally, you can fork any public repository to your personal account or to an organization where you have permission to create repositories.
Next steps
For instructions for forking a repository, see Fork a repository.
For more information about when you can create forks, and the permission and visibility settings of forks, see About permissions and visibility of forks.