kimsia
Budding · Updated Sept 2026 ·10 min

Git Installation & Setup Guide

A step-by-step checklist that takes you from a blank machine to your first push on GitHub. Pick your OS once; every step below follows it.

git github beginners setup
Help wanted: 1-on-1 testing sessions

I want to improve this guide and would love to watch how you follow it. If you’re up for a 30–45 minute 1-on-1 session walking through it together, book a slot — your feedback goes straight into making this better for everyone.

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This guide is for beginners who want to write code on Windows 11 or macOS. Each step ends with a Done box — tick it as you go, and your progress is remembered on this device.

This guide is opinionated — the choices are made for you so you can focus on learning.

ChoiceRecommendation
TerminalThe one built into VS Code (or forks like Cursor, Windsurf, Antigravity)
ShellGit Bash on Windows; your default shell is fine on macOS/Linux
Git commandsDon’t memorize them — use a GUI client like GitHub Desktop for daily work
AuthenticationSSH keys (no passphrase, for simplicity)
Commit emailYour GitHub “noreply” email, to keep your real address private
Git hostingGitHub.com
Why these choices?
  • A terminal inside your editor. Most people learn Git because they’re also learning to code. The terminal in VS Code (or a VS Code-like editor) keeps both in one window.
  • Git Bash over PowerShell on Windows. The commands you learn (ls, rm, ssh-add, cat) also work on macOS, Linux servers, and WSL — PowerShell cmdlets don’t transfer.
  • GUI clients. Muscle memory for CLI commands comes later. A GUI (graphical user interface — buttons and menus) reduces errors while you’re learning the concepts.
  • SSH with no passphrase. SSH is more secure than HTTPS, and skipping the passphrase keeps setup simple. You can add one later.
  • Noreply email. Your email is visible in every commit’s metadata. GitHub gives you a private @users.noreply.github.com address to protect your inbox.
Showing steps for
Every macOS / Windows tab below follows this.

Step 1: Open your terminal

We recommend VS Code or Antigravity as your editor — both have a terminal built in.

1. Install VS Code (if you haven’t already)

Download VS Code

Windows: which version? (x64 vs ARM)

Most PCs use x64. A Surface Pro X or Snapdragon laptop may be ARM64.

  1. Press the Win key, type “About your PC”, and hit Enter.
  2. Look for System type.
  3. Download the matching installer.

2. Open the terminal

Press Cmd+` / Ctrl+` to open the integrated terminal — or use the top menu: Terminal → New Terminal.

Where is the backtick (`) key?

It’s usually above the Tab key and below Esc.

The backtick key, above Tab

Need to restart the terminal?

Click the trash-can icon in the top-right corner of the terminal panel, then open a new one.

1. Install Antigravity (if you haven’t already)

Download Antigravity

Windows: which version? (x64 vs ARM)

Most PCs use x64. A Surface Pro X or Snapdragon laptop may be ARM64.

  1. Press the Win key, type “About your PC”, and hit Enter.
  2. Look for System type.
  3. Download the matching installer.

2. Open the terminal

Press Cmd+` / Ctrl+` to open the integrated terminal — or use the top menu: Terminal → New Terminal.

Where is the backtick (`) key?

It’s usually above the Tab key and below Esc.

The backtick key, above Tab

Need to restart the terminal?

Click the trash-can icon in the top-right corner of the terminal panel, then open a new one.

  • macOS: open Terminal (Applications → Utilities).
  • Windows: open Git Bash (installed with Git in Step 3).

Step 2: Get a GitHub account

Already have one? Skip to Step 3. Otherwise:

  1. Go to github.com/signup.
  2. Enter your email, create a password, and choose a username.
  3. Verify your email address.
  4. (Optional) Turn on two-factor authentication: Settings → Password and authentication → Two-factor authentication.

Step 3: Install Git

Check if Git is already installed

git --version
  • See a version number (e.g. git version 2.39.0)? You’re done — skip to Step 4.
  • Get an error, or a prompt to install? Continue below.

Install Git

The simplest way, with no extra software:

xcode-select --install

A popup appears — click Install and wait for it to finish (it can take a few minutes).

Verify the installation

git --version

You should see something like git version 2.39.0.

Check if Git is already installed

In the terminal in VS Code, run:

git --version
  • See a version number (e.g. git version 2.42.0.windows.1)? You’re done — skip to Step 4.
  • Get an error (e.g. 'git' is not recognized)? Continue below.

Install Git

  1. Download the installer from git-scm.com/download/win.
  2. Run it. These settings are the ones that matter:
    • Git Bash Here — adds a right-click menu entry
    • Use Git from Windows Terminal — so git works in PowerShell too
    • Use bundled OpenSSH — for SSH key support
Not sure which options to pick?

The defaults are fine for most people — just click Next through the installer.

Verify the installation

Open a new terminal window (important!) and run:

git --version

You should see something like git version 2.42.0.windows.1.

Command not found after installing?

Close and reopen your terminal. The PATH only updates for new terminal sessions.

Step 4: Pick a GUI client

A GUI (graphical) client is easier than the command line when you’re starting out. Pick one:

A visual Git client that’s perfect for beginners — and completely free.

  1. Download it from desktop.github.com/download.

  2. Install and open the app.

    GitHub Desktop's Windows installer

  3. Click Sign in to GitHub.com.

  4. Authorize GitHub Desktop in your browser.

    Show the authorization screen

    Authorizing GitHub Desktop in the browser

Why GitHub Desktop?

No command line needed, you see visual diffs before committing, and it’s built by GitHub, so it integrates seamlessly.

A powerful Git client for professionals — $69/year, or free for students at git-tower.com/students.

  1. Download it from git-tower.com.
  2. Install and open the app.
  3. Go to Tower → Settings → Services.
  4. Click Add Account and sign in to GitHub.
Why Git Tower?

A visual interactive-rebase UI, great multi-repository management, and strong conflict-resolution tools.

Prefer the command line?

That’s fine too. The rest of this guide shows CLI commands, which work with or without a GUI client.

Step 5: Set up an SSH key

An SSH key lets you connect to GitHub securely without typing your password every time.

5a. Check for existing keys

In your terminal, run:

ls -la ~/.ssh

Look for files named id_ed25519 or id_rsa (and their .pub partners).

Nothing extra on macOS — ~/.ssh is a hidden folder in your home directory.

Where are these keys stored? What’s a public key?

By default your SSH keys live in a hidden folder called .ssh inside your user directory. In File Explorer, that’s C:\Users\YourName\.ssh.

SSH keys in Windows File Explorer

5b. Create a new SSH key

  1. In your terminal, run:

    ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "[email protected]"

  2. Press Enter to accept the default file location.

  3. Press Enter when asked for a passphrase — twice, to confirm an empty one.

    Passphrases (optional)

    You can add a passphrase for extra security, but it’s beyond the scope of this guide, which gets beginners started quickly.

  4. Start the SSH agent:

    eval "$(ssh-agent -s)"

  5. Add your key to the agent:

    ssh-add ~/.ssh/id_ed25519

  6. Copy your public key:

    pbcopy < ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub

    Your public key is now on your clipboard.

  1. Open Git Bash and run:

    ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "[email protected]"

  2. Press Enter to accept the default file location.

  3. Press Enter when asked for a passphrase — twice, to confirm an empty one.

    Passphrases (optional)

    You can add a passphrase for extra security, but it’s beyond the scope of this guide, which gets beginners started quickly.

  4. Start the SSH agent:

    eval "$(ssh-agent -s)"

  5. Add your key to the agent:

    ssh-add ~/.ssh/id_ed25519

  6. Copy your public key:

    clip < ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub

    Your public key is now on your clipboard.

5c. Add your SSH key to GitHub

  1. Go to github.com/settings/keys.
  2. Click New SSH key.
  3. Give it a Title (e.g. “My MacBook” or “Work Laptop”).
  4. Paste your public key into the Key field.
  5. Click Add SSH key.

Test the connection:

ssh -T [email protected]
First connection

The first time, you’ll be asked to verify GitHub’s fingerprint. Type yes and press Enter.

Typing yes to trust GitHub's fingerprint

You should see:

Hi username! You've successfully authenticated, but GitHub does not provide shell access.

That means it worked — on to Step 6.

Step 6: Tell Git who you are

Use the same email as your GitHub account — or better, your GitHub noreply address from github.com/settings/emails:

git config --global user.name "Your Name"
git config --global user.email "[email protected]"

Check your settings:

git config --global --list

Git identity configured in the terminal

Per-project identity

Leave out --global to set the identity for one repository only.

Step 7: Your first repository

Don’t have a repository yet? On GitHub, click + → New repository, give it a name, tick Add a README file (so there’s something to clone), and choose Public — that way the verify button at the end can see your first commit.

Clone a repository

git clone [email protected]:username/repository.git
Finding the SSH URL

On GitHub, click the green Code button → SSH → copy the URL.

Make your first commit

cd repository
# make changes to some files...
git add .
git commit -m "Your commit message"
git push

Clone a repository

  1. Open GitHub Desktop.
  2. File → Clone Repository (Cmd+Shift+O / Ctrl+Shift+O).
  3. Select the GitHub.com tab.
  4. Choose a repository from your list (or paste a URL).
  5. Click Clone.

Make your first commit

  1. Change some files in your editor.
  2. In GitHub Desktop, the changed files appear in the left panel.
  3. Write a Summary (your commit message) at the bottom.
  4. Click Commit to main.
  5. Click Push origin to upload.

Clone a repository

  1. Open Git Tower.
  2. File → Clone (Cmd+Shift+C / Ctrl+Shift+C).
  3. Paste the repository URL.
  4. Choose where to save it.
  5. Click Clone.

Make your first commit

  1. Change some files in your editor.
  2. In Tower, open the Working Copy view.
  3. Stage files by clicking the + button.
  4. Enter a commit message and click Commit.
  5. Click Push to upload.
Good commit messages

Be descriptive: “Fix login button alignment” beats “fix bug”.

Quick reference

CommandWhat it does
git statusSee which files have changed
git add .Stage all changes
git commit -m "message"Save the staged changes
git pushUpload commits to GitHub
git pullDownload the latest from GitHub
git log --onelineView commit history
git branchList branches
git checkout -b nameCreate and switch to a new branch

Checklist

Everything you ticked along the way, in one place. Jump back to any step with ↑.

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Verify my setup

Rather not take your own word for it? Enter your GitHub username and the page asks GitHub directly: does the account exist, does it have an SSH key, and is there a commit by you? Each one it can confirm gets ticked above and marked verified.

github.com/

Reads public GitHub data only, straight from your browser. Private repos stay invisible to it.