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Merge (version control)
open-in-new
<p>In <a href="/facts/Version_control/pxCmFXqK">version control</a>, merging (also called integration) is a fundamental operation that reconciles changes made to a version-controlled collection of files. Most often, it is necessary when a file is modified on two independent <a href="/facts/Branching_(software)/1m0qK9tv">branches</a> and subsequently merged. The result is a single collection of files that contains both sets of changes. </p><p>In some cases, the merge can be performed automatically, because there is sufficient history information to reconstruct the changes, and the changes do not <a href="/facts/Conflict_(version_control)/LDXURlCM">conflict</a>. In other cases, a person must decide exactly what the resulting files should contain. Many revision control software tools include merge capabilities. </p>