Git Installation Guide

Getting Started with Git

This guide will help you install and configure Git on your operating system. Choose your platform below to get started.

Installing Git on Windows

Download Git for Windows

  1. Visit the official Git website at git-scm.com/downloads.
  2. Click on the Windows download link.
  3. The download should start automatically.
Download Git

Install Git on Windows

  1. Run the downloaded executable file.
  2. Follow the installation wizard. The default options are generally suitable for most users.
  3. During installation, select 'Use Git from the Windows Command Prompt' to add Git to your PATH.
  4. Complete the installation process and click 'Finish'.

Configure Git

After installation, you need to set up your user name and email address. This information is used with every Git commit.

git config --global user.name "Your Name"
git config --global user.email "your.email@example.com"

Verify Installation

To confirm that Git has been installed correctly, open a terminal or command prompt and run:

git --version

Generate SSH Keys

SSH keys enable secure connection to Git hosting services like GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket without entering passwords for every push/pull.

Additional Configuration

Here are some recommended additional settings to configure Git for optimal use:

Configure Line Endings

Different operating systems handle line endings differently. Configure Git to handle them properly:

# Windows
git config --global core.autocrlf true
# macOS/Linux
git config --global core.autocrlf input

Set Default Branch Name

Modern Git workflows typically use 'main' as the default branch name instead of 'master':

git config --global init.defaultBranch main

Configure Default Editor

Set your preferred text editor for Git commit messages and other operations:

# For VSCode
git config --global core.editor "code --wait"
# For Vim
git config --global core.editor vim

Troubleshooting

Here are solutions to common problems during Git installation and configuration:

Additional Resources

Git GUI Clients

  • GitHub Desktop - Simple and user-friendly Git client by GitHubDownload
  • GitKraken - Powerful Git client with visual commit historyDownload
  • Sourcetree - Free Git client for Windows and MacDownload

Git-friendly Code Editors

  • Visual Studio Code - Free code editor with built-in Git supportDownload
  • Atom - Free code editor with Git integrationDownload
  • Sublime Text - Popular text editor with Git pluginsDownload

Documentation