There are several ways to install Git on macOS. This guide will show you how to install Git using the Homebrew package manager. You will need to be on macOS High Sierra (10.13) or higher.
For some Git clients (see below), e.g. RStudio, it is recommended to install Git as administrator. It is also possible to install Git as a standard user, but you may have to manually specify the path to the Git executable in the settings of your Git client.
If you want to install Git as a standard user, just log in with your user account and run the installer.
To install with administrator permissions, run the installer as administrator. Right-click on the installer, select Run as administrator and enter your credentials:
From here, follow the steps in the setup wizard. It is okay to just accept the defaults, when in doubt.
Here are some important steps:
Choose your editor:
By default, Vim will be used for Git. If you prefer to use another editor, select it here.
PATH environment:
This ensures that Git can be used by 3rd party software (Git clients). PATH adjustment is recommended (and the default).
Choose credential helper:
From Git 2.29.0 onwards, the Git Credential Manager Core will be used by default. The Git Credential Manager can still be installed and used, but is now deprecated. When using either of these, your Git/Codeberg credentials will be stored in Windows' Credential Manager when you enter them for your first pull/push (see Clone & Commit via HTTP). Windows' Credential Manager is also where you'd go to change them. Follow the links on the setup wizard for more details.
If you'd prefer not to store your credentials in Windows but e.g. in a password manager, select the third option (None). You'll have to enter your credentials at every push/pull.
You may get the error message displayed below, saying that the release notes cannot be displayed. This can be safely ignored; you can find the release notes in Start Menu → Git → Git Release Notes.
Git can be used through Command Prompt (the traditional Windows command line interpreter), PowerShell (the "replacement" of Command Prompt), your Git client, or Git Bash. The latter two options are recommended.
Git Bash is what comes with Git. You can access it from the Start Menu: Git → Git Bash.
You have now managed to get Git up and running. Please proceed as described in the article Configuring Git to set up your name and email address for Git.
If you ticked the box to check for updates during installation, Git will inform you that a new version is available.
To check for updates, at the command line, type:
git update-git-for-windows
After that, just follow the instructions in the terminal to update to the latest version.
Alternatively, you can download the installer from the Git website as explained above.
Make sure that you run the new installer with the same permissions (Administrator or standard user) as the original installation. If not, it will be installed twice and that will create a mess.
If you want to keep all your previous settings, simply tick the box Only show new options in the setup wizard (see screenshots above).
Git can be used from the command line as shown above, but it can also be used through graphical user interfaces called Git clients.
You can find a list of various Git clients on the Git website.
Hey there! 👋 Thank you for reading this article!
Is there something missing, or do you have an idea on how to improve the documentation?
Do you want to write your own article?
