Skip to main content
Get started with GitHub Desktop and make your first commit in just a few steps.

​
Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have:

​
Step 1: Sign In to GitHub

1

Launch GitHub Desktop

Open GitHub Desktop from your Applications folder (macOS) or Start menu (Windows).
2

Sign in with your GitHub account

  1. Click Sign in to GitHub.com
  2. You’ll be redirected to GitHub in your browser
  3. Click Authorize desktop to grant access
  4. Return to GitHub Desktop
For GitHub Enterprise, click Sign in to GitHub Enterprise Server and enter your server URL.
3

Configure Git

GitHub Desktop will automatically configure Git with your name and email from your GitHub account.You can verify or change these settings in Preferences → Git (macOS) or File → Options → Git (Windows).

​
Step 2: Clone a Repository

1

Choose a repository to clone

On the welcome screen, click Clone a Repository from the Internet.Alternatively, go to File → Clone Repository (or ⌘⇧O on macOS, Ctrl+Shift+O on Windows).
2

Select your repository

You’ll see a list of repositories from your GitHub account:
  1. Browse the GitHub.com tab for your personal repositories
  2. Search for a specific repository
  3. Or enter a URL in the URL tab
Don’t have a repository yet? Create one on GitHub first, or click Create a New Repository in GitHub Desktop.
3

Choose local path

Select where you want to save the repository on your computer, then click Clone.
By default, repositories are saved to ~/Documents/GitHub on macOS or %USERPROFILE%\Documents\GitHub on Windows.

​
Step 3: Make Changes

1

Open the repository in your editor

Click Repository → Open in [Your Editor] or press ⌘⇧A (macOS) / Ctrl+Shift+A (Windows).This will open the repository in your configured external editor (VS Code, Atom, etc.).
2

Edit a file

Make a change to any file in the repository. For example:
  1. Open README.md
  2. Add a new line of text
  3. Save the file
3

View changes in GitHub Desktop

Switch back to GitHub Desktop. You’ll see:
  • The Changes tab showing modified files
  • A diff view showing what changed (green for additions, red for deletions)
  • Checkboxes to select which changes to include
GitHub Desktop automatically detects all changes in your repository.

​
Step 4: Make Your First Commit

1

Stage your changes

By default, all changes are selected (staged). You can:
  • Uncheck files to exclude them from the commit
  • Check/uncheck individual lines by clicking in the diff view
2

Write a commit message

In the bottom-left corner:
  1. Enter a summary (e.g., “Update README with project description”)
  2. Optionally add a description for more context
Good commit messages are clear and explain why you made the change, not just what changed.
3

Create the commit

Click the Commit to main button.Your changes are now saved in your local Git history!

​
Step 5: Push to GitHub

1

Push your commits

After committing, you’ll see a notification: Push origin.Click the Push origin button in the top-right corner to upload your commits to GitHub.
The button shows the number of commits ready to push (e.g., “Push origin ↑1”).
2

Verify on GitHub

Open your repository on GitHub.com to verify your changes:
  1. Go to github.com/[your-username]/[your-repo]
  2. You should see your commit in the commit history
  3. Your changes are now visible to collaborators!

​
What You’ve Learned

Congratulations! You’ve successfully:

Signed In

Connected GitHub Desktop to your GitHub account

Cloned

Downloaded a repository to your computer

Committed

Saved changes with a descriptive commit message

Pushed

Uploaded your commits to GitHub

​
Next Steps

Now that you know the basics, explore more features:

Branches

Learn how to create and switch between branches

Pull Requests

Create pull requests directly from GitHub Desktop

Merge Conflicts

Resolve conflicts when collaborating with others

History & Diffs

View commit history and compare changes

​
Common Next Actions

  1. Go to File → New Repository (or ⌘N / Ctrl+N)
  2. Enter the repository name and description
  3. Choose a local path
  4. Click Create Repository
  5. Optionally publish it to GitHub with Publish Repository
  1. Click the Current Branch dropdown at the top
  2. Select an existing branch or click New Branch
  3. GitHub Desktop will switch to that branch
Click the Fetch origin button regularly to check for new commits. If there are changes, click Pull origin to download them.
  1. Go to the History tab
  2. Right-click on the commit you want to undo
  3. Select Revert Changes in Commit
This creates a new commit that undoes the changes.
Need more help? Check out our Troubleshooting Guide or FAQ.

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Get started for freeTalk to us