SetupLesson 2 of 10
Install Git on Your Computer
2 min readGitHub for Designers
Git is the version control software that powers GitHub. You need Git installed locally to clone repositories, make changes, and push updates.
For Mac Users
1
Open Terminal
- Press Cmd + Space to open Spotlight
- Type "Terminal" and press Enter
- A command line window will open
2
Check if Git is Installed
Type this command and press Enter to see if Git is already installed:
Terminal
git --versionIf you see a version number, Git is already installed. If not, macOS will prompt you to install the Xcode Command Line Tools which includes Git.
For Windows Users
1
Download Git
- Go to git-scm.com/download/win
- The download should start automatically
- If not, click the download link for your Windows version
2
Run the Installer
- Open the downloaded .exe file
- Accept the license agreement
- Use the default settings (just click Next)
- Click Install when ready
Configure Git with Your Identity
After installing Git, you need to tell it who you are. This information appears in your commits.
Terminal
git config --global user.name "Your Name"
git config --global user.email "your.email@example.com"Use the Same Email
Make sure to use the same email address you used for your GitHub account. This links your commits to your GitHub profile.
Lesson Complete!
- Installed Git on your computer
- Configured your name and email
- Ready to clone repositories
Git is now set up on your machine. Next, we'll learn the basic Git concepts.