Update using git pull?

This feels like a very silly question, but my searching has hit a dead end - likely due to misunderstandings on my end and the fact that git appears to be designed for some very powerful remote/local file management activities...   Don't want to push, fork, branch, or any of the other myriad functions of git...I just want to update.

I have LCNC 2.9 RIP, along with QtPyVCP and Probe Basic installed.  I would like to update all three to the latest versions of the respective branches.

My understanding is that I navigate to the main folder for the software in question and issue:

git branch [to verify I'm on the desired branch]
git checkout (branch)  [<= this might not be necessary if I'm on the right branch?]
git pull

However, that doesn't seem to do anything productive.  When I check the files in the respective folders (using file manager), I don't see any updated files.  All the files appear to be the same date as when I first installed everything, and files I know for a fact have been modified on github are unchanged on my system.

What am I missing?

Thx.

Typically, 'git pull' should be enough to get the latest files from the remote repo. ('git checkout' is not necessary unless you want to change branch.)

What does 'git status' say? What about 'git remote -v'?

git status:
[probe_basic]
on branch python3
nothing to commit, working tree clean

[qtpyvcp]
On branch master
Your branch is up to date with 'origin/master'
nothing to commit, working tree clean

[lcnc]
On branch dgarr/master_testa (I knew this, hadn't switched LCNC back to master after @dgarret fixed some stuff for me)
Your branch is up to date with 'origin/dgarr/master_testa'

Changes not staged for commit:
modified: ...carousel.comp

Untracked files
...big list of files...

no change added to commit

git remote -v
all three gave the same basic response (with different URLs for PB and QTPYVCP)
origin github.com/linuxcnc/linuxcnc.git (fetch)
origin github.com/linuxcnc/linuxcnc.git (push)

Restoring carousel.comp, git checkout master, and git pull in linuxcnc-dev updated fine.

Looks like everything is ok... I think I must have overlooked some changed files buried in subfolders.

Sorry for the (probable) false alarm.