Focus on what matters instead of fighting with Git. Whether you’re new
to Git or a seasoned user, GitHub Desktop simplifies your development
workflow.
Download for macOS
Download for Windows (64bit)
Try beta features and help improve future releases
Experience the latest features and bug fixes before they’re released.
Check out Beta
Do you use an Apple silicon Mac?
See the Apple docs about Apple vs Intel chips.
Download for Apple silicon Mac
Looking for Windows?
Need to download the install for Windows?
Download for Windows
Prefer the MSI?
Need to download the package to install across your organization?
Download for Windows (MSI)
Mac?
Need to download for macOS?
Download for macOS
By downloading, you agree to the Open Source Applications Terms.
Skip to content
Navigation Menu
Provide feedback
Saved searches
Use saved searches to filter your results more quickly
Sign up
GitHub Desktop
Experience Git without the struggle
Whether you’re new to Git or a seasoned user, GitHub Desktop simplifies your development workflow.
The ultimate GUI Git client for streamlining and enhancing your local code management process
Review code changes with precision
Easily compare versions to catch every detail and ensure your code update is flawless.
Read more about diff options
Drag and drop to cherry-pick, squash, or reorder commits
Copy commits from one branch to another, combine multiple commits in your branch history, or alter your commit history with an intuitive drag and drop functionality unique to GitHub Desktop.
Options for managing commits in GitHub Desktop
Stash your changes without committing them to a branch
Stash your changes without committing them to a branch
Maintain flexibility and seamless management of your codebase
Make adjustments to update messages, incorporate new changes, or revert to earlier states when needed. Easily make changes to your project’s history with simple adjustments and reversals.
GitHub Desktop is really one of the best 80/20 programs I have seen. It hides the details of git (which are irrelevant) and just lets you get on with your work.
Get Involved
Getting started with GitHub can be tough. Using Git on the command line can feel daunting, and it’s only natural to yearn for a simple graphical interface 🖥️ rather than odd commands. In this post, we’ll show absolute beginners how to download GitHub GUI for Windows, clone a repo, and push/pull changes.
📋 Contents
- ⚙️ Download & Install Github Desktop
- 🚀 Create and Publish Your First Repository
- ➕ Create, Commit & Push Files with GitHub Desktop GUI
- 📂 Clone a Repo with Github Desktop
Download & Install Github Desktop
1️⃣ Get the Windows Installer
Go to the link for Download Github Desktop and click the download button to begin the process.
2️⃣ Sign in to your Github account
Once the install has launched, you will need to sign in to Github or create an account if you don’t have one already.
3️⃣ Give GitHub Desktop Permission
When the permissions dialog appears, leave the defaults enabled so GitHub Desktop has full access to your public and private repositories. Otherwise, you’ll run into errors trying to clone private repos later. In future it probably isn’t a bad idea to learn about ssh-keys for auth in the event you ever want to clone a private git repo from a server but to keep things simple , we will just tick the defaults shown below.
4️⃣ Configure Github Desktop
Sign in using your GitHub username and email address. This will sync your repositories and settings automatically—honestly not sure what the other settings do, I have never needed them. If you do need to change anything later, head to File → Options
Installation is now complete! 🔥 Hopefully that was pretty easy! You should now see something like the window below with your Github Repos, if you don’t have any yet, read on and we will show how to make your first repo.
Create and Publish Your First Repository with GitHub Desktop GUI
1️⃣ Click on the File Menu on Top Left
Select New Repository ⬇️
2️⃣Give your Repo a Name & Description
Enter a unique name (and an optional description) for your new repo. The Local path setting tells GitHub Desktop where to store your files on your PC—unless you have a specific folder in mind, the default location is fine for now. Click on create repository button once you are satisfied with your choices.
3️⃣Check it is in the local folder
GitHub Desktop will automatically create a GitHub folder in your Documents. To check that the repo we created with the gui exists
➡️ Open 📂 File Explorer
➡️ Go to Documents/GitHub
➡️ You should see the repo you just created in the list
4️⃣Publish from Local Folder to Github
This step is straightforward—click the Publish repository button to upload your local files to GitHub 🤘
If you want to keep your code private, tick the Keep this code private checkbox 🔒
Once that’s done, you’ll find your new repo on your GitHub profile—though it’ll be empty at first! But fear not, in the next step we’ll walk through how to add new files, commit them and push to github —all via the GUI
Create, Commit & Push Files with GitHub Desktop GUI
In this section, we’ll walk through the core Git workflow in GitHub Desktop: create or edit files locally, commit your changes, and push them to the remote repository.
Heads up—you’ll need an code editor installed to follow along with the next steps, I personally use & recommend VS Code as its free and not too painful to set up + works very well with Github Desktop. Notice the Options link below, where you can change the default code editor Github Desktop uses. Then click on the button to open your repo!
1️⃣Create Files
I created a hello_world.py ⬇️
print("Hello, world!")
print("From my first GitHub repo")And a hello_world.js ⬇️
console.log("Hello, world!");
console.log("From my first GitHub repo");So my editor currently looks like the image shown below ⬇️
2️⃣Commit Files
This is where the real magic starts! If you go back to the Github GUI , you will see Github Desktop has noticed we made changes to the folder!
➡️Ensure that the files you want to commit have the checkmark ticked beside them ☑️
➡️Add a commit message : In mine shown above I have called it ‘Commit Hello worlds’
➡️Optional Description: Here you can add more details , I just listed the files as shown above.
➡️ Click on the Commit to main button to add the files to version control.
And that’s it, pretty simple right! Now let’s move on to make sure we send the new files to Github.
3️⃣Push Files to Github
This step is a very easy—just click the Push origin button (shown below), and GitHub Desktop will publish the files you committed in step 2 directly to your GitHub repository!
And sure enough they are there along with the commit message we wrote in step 2.
And that’s it for this part. It’s a good idea to practise modifying, committing and pushing a few times, as you’ll be doing this workflow quite often!
Clone a Repo with Github Desktop
Cloning a repository means creating a full local copy of a project hosted on GitHub, so you can browse, edit, and experiment on your own machine. What’s cool about GitHub and open source in general is that you can take someone else’s code, download it directly, and modify it however you like (license permitting, of course).
For this section, we will clone a repo I createed in a post about Deploying a FastAPI app , you can also find the repo here on github
Steps to Clone the Repo
1️⃣ Navigate to Github Repo on Website
To follow along with me My Repo link , or whatever repo you are interested in.
2️⃣Copy the repo URL
3️⃣ Click on File Menu in Github Desktop & Select Clone Repository
4️⃣ Copy Pasting URL from Step 2 in to URL Tab
Click the Clone button—and that’s it! It’s much simpler and cleaner than manually downloading and extracting a ZIP from the GitHub UI.
And sure enough the cloned repo is right beside the one we made in Part 2 of this post!
📚 Further Reading
- 🔗 Run Python Scripts in the Cloud
- 🔗 Install Linux & Docker on Windows
- 🔗 Make a Python Dashboard
Last Updated :
27 Aug, 2024
Many people argue that the modern world of software development is all about cooperation. Now, it is impossible to imagine the development process without GitHub. While many developers are familiar with using GitHub via the command line, there’s a powerful tool that can simplify this process even further: GitHub Desktop has been used throughout this project and can also be found in the repository for this project.
In this article, we will learn about what GitHub Desktop is, the features which are incorporated into it, how one can start using it, and why one should consider using it as a part of the development process.
Table of Content
- What is GitHub Desktop?
- Getting Started with GitHub Desktop
- Core Features of GitHub Desktop
- Pushing and Pulling Changes
- Working with GitHub Actions
- Advanced Features and Settings
- GitHub Desktop for the Management of Projects
What is GitHub Desktop?
GitHub Desktop is an open-source software, which means that it is absolutely free, and its use is only limited by the specific interface it offers for working with repositories on GitHub. It is for both Mac and Windows, and it provides a convenient way to work with repositories even if you don’t want to use the terminal. With GitHub Desktop, the code can be easily managed; changes tracked and even collaboration with other developers can be done.
Purpose of Using GitHub Desktop
GitHub Desktop App is a tool that enables users to interface with GitHub and its features for version control from a graphical user interface perspective.
- Ease of Use: An intuitive UI that eliminates the complexities of command-line Git.
- Quick Setup: A fast and simple way to clone, commit, and push changes.
- Seamless Integration: Works smoothly with GitHub and other Git services.
Getting Started with GitHub Desktop
Installing GitHub Desktop on Windows, macOS, and Linux
- Download GitHub Desktop: Go to the GitHub Desktop homepage and download the version corresponding to the OS installed on your computer.
- Installation Process: GitHub Desktop is easy to install, all one has to do is follow the installation instructions provided on the GitHub main window.
Getting started with GitHub in GitHub Desktop
- Sign in to GitHub: Following installation, you have to sign in to your GitHub account: it will give you access to repositories and settings.
Managing the GitHub Desktop Environment
- Clone a Repository: Clone a repository by pasting the URL or choosing it from the GitHub repositories that are available.
- Create a New Repository: Initiate a whole new repository from GitHub Desktop in order to begin with a fresh project.
Core Features of GitHub Desktop
- Cloning Repositories from GitHub: Easily clone repositories with a few clicks. The app automatically syncs the cloned repository with your local machine.
- Creating New Repositories Using GitHub Desktop: You can create repositories from scratch within the app, whether they’re local or linked directly to GitHub.
- Committing Changes and Writing Commit Messages: GitHub Desktop simplifies staging changes and writing descriptive commit messages, ensuring better collaboration and history tracking.
- Managing Branches and Merging Branches: Branch creation, switching, and merging are streamlined in GitHub Desktop, making it easier to manage different features or bug fixes.
Pushing and Pulling Changes
How to Push Commits to a Remote Repository?
- Pushing Changes: After you made and committed your changes, always make sure to push your changes with the remote repository from GitHub. Check out of a Remote Branch
- Pulling Requests: GitHub Desktop enables users to review, comment, and merge the pull requests.
GitHub Desktop as a tool for solving merge conflicts
- Conflict Resolution: GitHub Desktop has some tools that help in the solving of merge conflict visually, which is helpful in keeping a project stable.
Working with GitHub Actions
- Working with GitHub Actions for GitHub Desktop: GitHub Actions workflows can be initiated from GitHub Desktop and this will help with the continuous integration and deployment.
- Synchronizing Workflows Right from the GitHub Desktop: Design the automation of your development processes from within the application.
Advanced Features and Settings
- Configuring Git Settings in GitHub Desktop: Create new branches for features or bug fixes and merge them back to the master branch with a lot of ease.
- Managing Multiple Repositories: Supports managing of several repositories at once so that the projects are well-organized.
- Customizing the Interface and Preferences: Customize the look and feel as well as general settings of GitHub Desktop to your working style.
GitHub Desktop for the Management of Projects
- Issues Management: Referring commits to links help to keep track of your progress and provide an understanding of whether all the changes were made or not.
- Project Management: GitHub Desktop is preferred for excellent management of milestones and project boards.
- Release Management: Tag and publish releases right from the application.
GitHub Desktop is a program for convenient work with projects placed on the same service. It can be used to add any repositories directly to your hard drive, by dragging and dropping, or through the conductor. If the drag-and-drop folder is a Git repository, GitHub imports the entire history and connects it to the user’s profile. Another way to add repositories is to clone it from GitHub.com. It can be performed directly from the interface of the program, using the viewing of your personal profile or organization to which you belong. Also, cloning is performed by pressing the corresponding button «Clone in Windows» on the page GitHub.com.
The application is a full-featured version of msysGit — no additional installation is required. PowerShell is also supported. The program includes special utilities to make it easier to work with the command line. When cloning repositories, HTTPS protocol is used and credentials are cached, which eliminates the need for constant use of SSH keys each time a remote action is performed.
«GitHub Desktop simplifies the process of adding repositories and managing projects, reducing the need for command line operations and repetitive usage of SSH keys.»
— convenient work with repositories;
— command line support;
— easy-to-use interface;
— secure cloning of repositories.
Intuitive interface makes version control easy for beginners.
Seamlessly integrates with GitHub’s online platform.
Supports handling merge conflicts visually.
Lacks advanced functionality compared to command line.
No easy rollback option for mistakes.
Limited to GitHub-hosted repositories.
Ryan
Sun, Mar 10, 2024
GitHub Desktop is a specific application for the Open Source platform. It is associated with GitHub only. It has a nice Graphical User Interface (GUI).Users can check for changes directly on this software. It has history session which can show every git history in a button click. Users can attribute commits with collaborators easily. It can also be used to checkout branches with pull requests. Users can also check the CI status directly within it. It highlights all the syntax differents as well.
However, it only has official versions for the Windows and MacOS users.
👨💻️ USER REVIEWS AND COMMENTS 💬
image/svg+xmlBotttsPablo Stanleyhttps://bottts.com/Florian Körner
Cole
Program allows people to work on projects placed on same server. It’s nice that you just have to download this program and it makes it simple by clicking and dragging files. No other need of downloads keeps it simple and concise.It has special utilities so typing commands is quick and easy.
image/svg+xmlBotttsPablo Stanleyhttps://bottts.com/Florian Körner
Jake
GitHub has made multitasking and coding a lot simpler and has increased the reliability and efficiency of my work. There have been times my PC has frozen (due for a new one), but GitHub had backed up the code I was working on. Additionally, working with my team has been very productive, making changes to 15 things but treated as one action are big pluses. It really simplifies a lot of the work. Love it.
image/svg+xmlBotttsPablo Stanleyhttps://bottts.com/Florian Körner
Callum Wilham
GitHub Desktop is a free, open-source application that allows users to create and manage their Git repositories on their local computer. It provides an easy-to-use graphical interface to access the full set of Git commands and allows users to clone, create, and manage repositories, view changes made to files, and commit changes to a repository. GitHub Desktop also integrates with the GitHub website, allowing users to quickly share and collaborate on code.
image/svg+xmlBotttsPablo Stanleyhttps://bottts.com/Florian Körner
Muhammad E.
GitHub Desktop is an easy to use program that offers an intuitive user interface. It allows me to quickly and easily manage my code repositories with a few clicks. The program also offers a wide range of features like the ability to commit, push and pull changes, create branches and view history. I appreciate the ability to quickly review changes in a file before committing them. The interface is also quite intuitive, allowing me to quickly start working. The only downside I’ve noticed is that it can take some time to load a repository when initially setting up. However, once it’s loaded it’s quite responsive. Overall, GitHub Desktop is a great tool for managing my projects.
image/svg+xmlBotttsPablo Stanleyhttps://bottts.com/Florian Körner
Aaron A.
GitHub Desktop is an easy to use graphical interface for working with Git and GitHub. It provides a streamlined workflow for managing branches, committing changes and reviewing pull requests. I like the fact that it’s built on Electron, so it runs on Windows, Mac and Linux. Plus, it integrates nicely with the command line, so you can use either one. Overall, it’s a great tool for managing your projects.
image/svg+xmlBotttsPablo Stanleyhttps://bottts.com/Florian Körner
George X******t
GitHub Desktop is a desktop client for GitHub, a web-based Git repository hosting service. It allows developers to manage their Git repositories locally with a user-friendly interface. The software enables users to clone repositories, create branches, commit changes, and merge code with ease. It also offers features like version control, code review, and collaboration tools that streamline the development process. Overall, it simplifies the Git workflow and makes it accessible to more users.
image/svg+xmlBotttsPablo Stanleyhttps://bottts.com/Florian Körner
John
GitHub Desktop is a seamless interface that simplifies the workflow for version control while giving access to the full power of Git. Its key feature is the ease with which it enables users to manage repositories without using the command line. This software also simplifies collaboration processes by facilitating the management of pull requests directly from the app.
image/svg+xmlBotttsPablo Stanleyhttps://bottts.com/Florian Körner
Blake
It provides a clean, user-friendly interface for managing code repositories, but occasionally lags while loading larger projects.
image/svg+xmlBotttsPablo Stanleyhttps://bottts.com/Florian Körner
Alexander
Eases version control, enhances team collaboration, user-friendly interface.
image/svg+xmlBotttsPablo Stanleyhttps://bottts.com/Florian Körner
Samuel
Intuitive, efficient version control interface.
Facilitates GitHub project management.
Drag and drop files to upload and manage code.
Easy way to collaborate and track code changes.
No more coding confusion with version control software.