How to disable Recent branches in the Branches widget

Question

How to hide the Recent branches list shown in the Branches widget of the Git tool window?

Answer

The Recent branches list can be hidden from the Branches widget settings:

1. Open the Branches widget — click the branch name in the status bar (or in the main toolbar in the new UI), or open the Git tool window and switch to the Branches tab.
2. Click the Settings (cog wheel) icon at the top of the popup.
3. Uncheck Show Recent Branches.

The setting is stored per project. There is currently no global option to disable Show Recent Branches for all new projects — it has to be turned off in each project individually.

A feature request to expose this option in Settings for New Projects... is tracked in IJPL-112399. Vote and subscribe to the issue for progress updates.