github - Remote origin already exists on 'git push' to a new repository

Question

I have my project on GitHub at some location, git@github.com:myname/oldrep.git.

Now I want to push all my code to a new repository at some other location, git@github.com:newname/newrep.git.

I used the command:

git remote add origin git@github.com:myname/oldrep.git

but I am receiving this:

fatal: remote origin already exists.

Answer 1

You are getting this error because "origin" is not available. "origin" is a convention not part of the command. "origin" is the local name of the remote repository.

For example you could also write:

git remote add myorigin git@github.com:myname/oldrep.git  
git remote add testtest git@github.com:myname/oldrep.git

See the manual:

http://www.kernel.org/pub/software/scm/git/docs/git-remote.html

To remove a remote repository you enter:

git remote rm origin

Again "origin" is the name of the remote repository if you want to remove the "upstream" remote:

git remote rm upstream