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This version of GitHub Enterprise was discontinued on 2022-06-03. No patch releases will be made, even for critical security issues. For better performance, improved security, and new features, upgrade to the latest version of GitHub Enterprise. For help with the upgrade, contact GitHub Enterprise support.

Enabling unified search for your enterprise

You can allow users to include repositories on GitHub.com in their search results when searching from your GitHub Enterprise Server instance.

Enterprise owners can enable unified search between GitHub Enterprise Server and GitHub.com.

When you enable unified search, users can view search results from content on GitHub.com when searching from your GitHub Enterprise Server instance.

You can choose to allow search results for public repositories on GitHub.com, and you can separately choose to allow search results for private repositories on GitHub Enterprise Cloud. If you enable unified search for private repositories, users can only search private repositories that they have access to and that are owned by the connected organization or enterprise account. For more information, see "About searching on GitHub."

Users will never be able to search your GitHub Enterprise Server instance from GitHub.com, even if they have access to both environments.

After you enable unified search for your GitHub Enterprise Server instance, before individual users can see search results from private repositories on GitHub.com in your GitHub Enterprise Server instance, each user must also connect their user account on GitHub Enterprise Server with a user account on GitHub.com. For more information, see "Enabling GitHub.com repository search in your private enterprise account."

Searching via the REST and GraphQL APIs does not include GitHub.com search results. Advanced search and searching for wikis in GitHub.com are not supported.

Before you can enable unified search, you must enable GitHub Connect. For more information, see "Managing GitHub Connect."

  1. Sign in to GitHub Enterprise Server and GitHub.com.

  2. From an administrative account on GitHub Enterprise Server, in the upper-right corner of any page, click .

    Screenshot of the rocket ship icon for accessing site admin settings

  3. If you're not already on the "Site admin" page, in the upper-left corner, click Site admin.

    Screenshot of "Site admin" link

  4. In the left sidebar, click Enterprise overview. Enterprise overview tab in the Site admin settings

  5. In the enterprise account sidebar, click GitHub Connect. GitHub Connect tab in the enterprise account sidebar

  6. Under "Users can search GitHub.com", use the drop-down menu and click Enabled. Enable search option in the search GitHub.com drop-down menu

  7. Optionally, under "Users can search private repositories on GitHub.com", use the drop-down menu and click Enabled. Enable private repositories search option in the search GitHub.com drop-down menu