A detached HEAD in Git happens when you're viewing or working on a specific commit, not a branch. This typically occurs when you checkout a commit hash or a tag. Instead of following a moving branch pointer, Git’s HEAD is now locked to that single commit.
This state is useful for reviewing code or testing changes, but if you make commits in a detached HEAD state and then switch branches, those commits may be lost unless you save them.
To keep your work, just create a new branch from where you are: git checkout -b feature-branch-name This anchors your current state to a new branch. If you don’t plan to keep changes, you can safely return to your previous branch with git checkout main. Detached HEAD isn’t an error—it’s just Git giving you full control.