info:To determine the technical writer assigned to the Stage/Group associated with this page, see https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/engineering/ux/technical-writing/#assignments
type:reference, concepts
---
# Merge conflicts **(FREE)**
_Merge conflicts_ happen when the two branches in a merge request (the source and target) each have different
changes, and you must decide which change to accept. In a merge request, Git compares
the two versions of the files line by line. In most cases, GitLab can merge changes
together. However, if two branches both change the same lines, GitLab blocks the merge,
and you must choose which change you want to keep.
info:To determine the technical writer assigned to the Stage/Group associated with this page, see https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/engineering/ux/technical-writing/#assignments
type:reference, concepts
redirect_to:'conflicts.md'
remove_date:'2022-01-26'
---
# Merge request conflict resolution **(FREE)**
This document was moved to [another location](../path/to/file/index.md).
Merge conflicts occur when two branches have different changes that cannot be
merged automatically.
Git can merge changes between branches in most cases, but
occasionally Git requires your assistance to resolve the
conflicts manually. Typically, this is necessary when people change the same
parts of the same files.
GitLab prevents merge requests from being merged until all conflicts are
resolved. Conflicts can be resolved locally, or in many cases in GitLab
(see [conflicts available for resolution](#conflicts-available-for-resolution)