Why Merge Changes Don’t Appear in the Commit Tool Window After Merging a Remote Branch

Problem

After merging a remote branch Y into a local branch X, the user expects to see the incoming changes listed in the Commit tool window. However, IntelliJ-based IDEs do not show any changes after the merge; everything appears already committed.

Cause

This behavior is expected.

When you merge a remote branch into your local branch:

• The changes from the remote branch are already committed in the remote repository.
• When you merge the remote branch, the IDE simply updates your local history with the merge commit.
• Since no new uncommitted changes are created, the Commit tool window correctly shows nothing.

The Commit tool window only displays local, uncommitted modifications — not historical changes brought in via merges.

Resolution

How to See Which Changes Were Introduced by the Merge

1. Open the Log pane in the Git tool window
2. Select the last commit before the merge commit(s)
3. Right-click → Compare with Local.

This shows a diff of all changes introduced by the merge.

How to Preview Incoming Changes Before Merging

If you want to review what the merge will introduce ahead of time:

1. Main menu: Git > Fetch
2. Open the Branches pane in the Git tool window
3. Select the incoming branch under the Remote node
4. Right-click → Show Diff with Working Tree.

This lets you preview all incoming differences before performing the merge.