diff --git a/lib/util/git/index.spec.ts b/lib/util/git/index.spec.ts
index 1f2d16d3f6a958e7ff38d1c171268cf220813a7b..ae7229c642d3ce4243a4ccb7e0d6dcd36aaaa7c1 100644
--- a/lib/util/git/index.spec.ts
+++ b/lib/util/git/index.spec.ts
@@ -169,19 +169,8 @@ describe('platform/git', () => {
     });
   });
 
-  describe('createBranch(branchName, sha)', () => {
-    it('resets existing branch', async () => {
-      const hex = await git.getBranchCommit('renovate/past_branch');
-      expect(await git.getBranchCommit('renovate/future_branch')).not.toBe(hex);
-      await git.createBranch('renovate/future_branch', hex);
-      expect(await git.getBranchCommit('renovate/future_branch')).toBe(hex);
-    });
-  });
-
   describe('getBranchFiles(branchName)', () => {
     it('detects changed files compared to current base branch', async () => {
-      const hex = await git.getBranchCommit('master');
-      await git.createBranch('renovate/branch_with_changes', hex);
       const file = {
         name: 'some-new-file',
         contents: 'some new-contents',
diff --git a/lib/util/git/index.ts b/lib/util/git/index.ts
index 8ffe55b7a8fa2e9ed2cfc5dcaec98a7889489092..e04811ef2c1b04d0129cb2ce949d8aca5c000a86 100644
--- a/lib/util/git/index.ts
+++ b/lib/util/git/index.ts
@@ -284,20 +284,6 @@ export async function getRepoStatus(): Promise<StatusResult> {
   return git.status();
 }
 
-export async function createBranch(
-  branchName: string,
-  sha: string
-): Promise<void> {
-  await syncGit();
-  logger.debug(`createBranch(${branchName})`);
-  await git.reset(ResetMode.HARD);
-  await git.raw(['clean', '-fd']);
-  await git.checkout(['-B', branchName, sha]);
-  await git.push('origin', branchName, { '--force': null });
-  config.branchExists[branchName] = true;
-  config.branchIsModified[branchName] = false;
-}
-
 async function syncBranch(branchName: string): Promise<void> {
   if (!branchName.startsWith(config.branchPrefix)) {
     // fetch the branch only if it's not part of the existing branchPrefix