Abandoning a pull request in Azure DevOps is a straightforward process. When you abandon a pull request, it’s not deleted but closed and marked as abandoned. This can be useful if the changes are no longer needed or if you want to create a new pull request with different changes. Here’s how to abandon a pull request in Azure DevOps:

Steps to Abandon a Pull Request

1. Navigate to the Pull Request:

   • Go to the Repos section in your Azure DevOps project.
   • Click on Pull requests to see the list of open pull requests.

2. Select the Pull Request:

   • Find and click on the pull request you want to abandon.

3. Abandon the Pull Request:

   • Inside the pull request view, look for the More options button (usually represented by three dots ...) at the top right corner of the page.
   • Click on it and select Abandon pull request from the dropdown menu.

4. Confirm the Action:

   • A confirmation dialog may appear asking you to confirm that you want to abandon the pull request.
   • Confirm your choice. The pull request will then be marked as abandoned.

5. Optional: Add a Comment:

   • It’s a good practice to add a comment explaining why the pull request is being abandoned, especially if you’re working in a team. This helps maintain clarity and communication within the team.

After Abandoning a Pull Request

• Reopening: If needed, an abandoned pull request can be reopened. Just go to the abandoned pull request and select Reactivate.

• Notifications: Relevant team members or reviewers might get notified when a pull request is abandoned, depending on your project’s notification settings.

• Branch Cleanup: Consider deleting the branch associated with the abandoned pull request if it’s no longer needed. This helps in keeping your repository clean.

Best Practices

• Communicate with Team Members: If the pull request has active discussions or reviewers, inform them about your decision to abandon the pull request.

• Documentation: If the pull request is linked to work items or bugs, update those items accordingly to reflect the change in status.

• Review Closed Pull Requests Periodically: Periodically review abandoned or closed pull requests to clean up branches or revisit decisions if necessary.

Abandoning a pull request is a simple process in Azure DevOps, but it’s important to do it thoughtfully, especially in a collaborative environment, to maintain clear communication and a clean codebase.