How to resolve Git merge conflicts in VS Code

Resolving Merge Conflicts

A conflict occurs when two branches modify the same lines of a file. Git marks the conflicting sections and stops the merge — you must resolve it manually.

What conflict markers look like

<<<<<<< HEAD (current branch)
return user.token;
=======
return user.accessToken;
>>>>>>> feature/auth-refactor

Everything between <<<<<<< and ======= is from your current branch. Between ======= and >>>>>>> is the incoming change.

Resolving in VS Code

VS Code shows inline buttons: Accept Current Change, Accept Incoming Change, Accept Both Changes, and Compare Changes. Click the appropriate option, or edit manually to create a combined outcome.

Completing the merge

git add src/auth.js
git commit

Abort a merge in progress

git merge --abort

Run this if you need to stop and rethink the merge strategy. It returns the repo to its pre-merge state.