This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Aisalkyn Aidarova

Windows — Install Git (step by step)

Option A — Easiest (official installer)

Download

Go to: https://git-scm.com/download/win (downloads start automatically).
You’ll get something like Git-<version>-64-bit.exe.

Run the installer

Double-click the .exe.
When the wizard asks:
- Adjusting your PATH → choose “Git from the command line and also from 3rd-party software”.
- Default editor → choose Vim (default) or pick Notepad++/VS Code if you prefer.
- Let Git decide line endings → choose “Checkout Windows-style, commit Unix-style (recommended)”.
- Git Credential Manager → Enable (recommended).
- SSH executable → Use bundled OpenSSH.
- Terminal emulator → Use Windows’ default console (or MinTTY if you like).
- Enable file system caching → Yes.
- Leave other defaults unless you know you need something else.

Verify installation

Open Command Prompt or PowerShell and run:
```
 git --version
```
You should see a version number.

Configure your identity

   git config --global user.name "Your Name"
   git config --global user.email "you@example.com"

(Optional but recommended) Set default branch name to main

   git config --global init.defaultBranch main

(Optional) Improve credential & line ending behavior

   git config --global core.autocrlf true
   git config --global credential.helper manager

(Optional) Install Git LFS (for large files)

Re-run the Git installer and tick Git LFS, or:

 winget install Git.GitLFS
 git lfs install

Option B — Using Winget (built-in on modern Windows 10/11)

winget install --id Git.Git -e
git --version

Option C — Using Chocolatey (if you already use choco)

choco install git -y
git --version

macOS — Install Git (step by step)

Option A — Using Homebrew (recommended if you already use brew)

Install Homebrew (if you don’t have it)

   /bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"
   brew update

Install Git

   brew install git
   git --version

Option B — Xcode Command Line Tools (no Homebrew needed)

Run:

   xcode-select --install

In the popup, choose Install.
Verify:

   git --version

Option C — Official macOS installer

Download the latest .pkg from https://git-scm.com/download/mac
Open the .pkg → follow the prompts.
Verify:

   git --version

Configure Git on macOS

Identity

   git config --global user.name "Your Name"
   git config --global user.email "you@example.com"

Default branch

   git config --global init.defaultBranch main

Credentials stored in Keychain

   git config --global credential.helper osxkeychain

One-time SSH setup (Windows & macOS)

Use this if you’ll push to GitHub/GitLab/Bitbucket over SSH (recommended for fewer password prompts).

Generate a key (ed25519)

   ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "you@example.com"

Press Enter to accept default location (~/.ssh/id_ed25519).
Optionally set a passphrase.

Start the SSH agent & add your key

macOS (zsh/bash):

 eval "$(ssh-agent -s)"
 ssh-add ~/.ssh/id_ed25519

Windows PowerShell (Git Bash similar):

 eval "$(ssh-agent -s)"
 ssh-add ~/.ssh/id_ed25519

Copy your public key

macOS:
```
 pbcopy < ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub
```

Windows (PowerShell):

 Get-Content $env:USERPROFILE\.ssh\id_ed25519.pub | Set-Clipboard

Add to your Git host

GitHub: Settings → SSH and GPG keys → New SSH key → paste → Save.
GitLab/Bitbucket: similar path under SSH Keys.

Test

   ssh -T git@github.com

You should see a success message (first time may ask to trust the host).

Quick sanity test (both platforms)

mkdir git-test && cd git-test
git init
echo "hello" > README.md
git add README.md
git commit -m "first commit"
git log --oneline

Keeping Git up to date

Windows (winget):

  winget upgrade Git.Git

Windows (installer): download/run the newest .exe from git-scm.com; it upgrades in place.
macOS (Homebrew):

  brew upgrade git

macOS (Xcode CLT):
- Run softwareupdate --all --install --force or reinstall CLT with xcode-select --install.

Common issues & fixes

git: command not found
- Windows: close/reopen terminal; ensure Git is on PATH (re-run installer and select PATH option).
- macOS: install via xcode-select --install or brew install git.
Corporate proxy blocks

Configure Git to use your proxy:

  git config --global http.proxy http://USER:PASS@proxy.company.com:8080
  git config --global https.proxy http://USER:PASS@proxy.company.com:8080

Permission denied (publickey) Your SSH key isn’t added or not uploaded to Git host. Re-run the SSH steps above and test with:

  ssh -T git@github.com

Multiple Git versions on macOS Check which Git runs:

  which git

Prefer Homebrew Git (/usr/local/bin/git on Intel, /opt/homebrew/bin/git on Apple Silicon). If needed, adjust your shell PATH to put Homebrew first.

This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Aisalkyn Aidarova

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