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Setting up GitHub Desktop

In this article

You can set up GitHub Desktop to suit your needs and contribute to projects.

Part 1: Installing GitHub Desktop

You can install GitHub Desktop on any supported operating system. For more information, see "Supported operating systems for GitHub Desktop."

To install GitHub Desktop, navigate to https://desktop.github.com/ and download the appropriate version of GitHub Desktop for your operating system. Follow the prompts to complete the installation. For more information, see "Installing GitHub Desktop."

Part 2: Configuring your account

If you have an account on GitHub or GitHub Enterprise, you can use GitHub Desktop to exchange data between your local and remote repositories.

Creating an account

If you do not already have an account on your GitHub Enterprise Server instance, create one now.

If you're a member of an organization that uses GitHub Enterprise Server and you do not have an account, contact your GitHub Enterprise site administrator.

Authenticating to GitHub

To connect to GitHub Desktop with GitHub, you'll need to authenticate your account. For more information, see "Authenticating to GitHub in GitHub Desktop."

After authenticating your account, you are ready to manage and contribute to projects with GitHub Desktop.

Part 3: Configuring Git

You must have Git installed before using GitHub Desktop. If you do not already have Git installed, you can download and install the latest version of Git from https://git-scm.com/downloads.

After you have Git installed, you'll need to configure Git for GitHub Desktop. For more information, see "Configuring Git for GitHub Desktop."

Part 4: Customizing GitHub Desktop

You can adjust defaults and settings to tailor GitHub Desktop to your needs.

Choosing a default text editor

You can open a text editor from GitHub Desktop to manipulate files and repositories. GitHub Desktop supports a variety of text editors and integrated development environments (IDEs) for Windows and macOS. You can choose a default editor in the GitHub Desktop settings. For more information, see "Configuring a default editor in GitHub Desktop."

Choosing a theme

GitHub Desktop has multiple themes available to customize the look and feel of the app. You can choose a theme in the GitHub Desktop settings. For more information, see "Setting a theme for GitHub Desktop."