---
title: "Git"
description: "Install Git in WSL, set your identity and line endings, and sign in with Git Credential Manager, the GitHub CLI, or an SSH key."
canonical_url: "https://vinicunca.dev/windows-dev/guide/git"
---
# Git

> Install Git in WSL, set your identity and line endings, and sign in with Git Credential Manager, the GitHub CLI, or an SSH key.

Git is usually already present on Ubuntu. You still need a name, an email, Linux line endings, and a way to authenticate with GitHub that does **not** store passwords in a plain-text file.

Run everything on this page inside your WSL terminal.

## Install or update Git

```bash
sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y git
git --version
```

You also want [Git for Windows](https://gitforwindows.org/) on the Windows side. It ships [Git Credential Manager](https://github.com/git-ecosystem/git-credential-manager) (GCM), which WSL Git can call so HTTPS credentials live in Windows Credential Manager. If you skipped it in [Package Managers](https://vinicunca.dev/windows-dev/guide/package-managers#recommended-apps):

```powershell
winget install -e --id Git.Git
```

During setup, leave **Git Credential Manager** selected.

![Git for Windows installer with Git Credential Manager selected](https://vinicunca.dev/images/gcm.png)

WSL Git and Git for Windows are separate installs. Configure the one you actually run (`git` inside Ubuntu).

## Identity

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

Use the email on your GitHub account, or a GitHub [noreply address](https://docs.github.com/en/account-and-profile/setting-up-and-managing-your-personal-account-on-github/managing-email-preferences/setting-your-commit-email-address).

There is no `user.username` setting. GitHub identity comes from authentication (the next section), not from a fake config key.

Check what you set:

```bash
git config --global --list
```

## Line endings

Windows uses `CRLF`; Linux and GitHub repositories use `LF`. Inside WSL, convert `CRLF` to `LF` on commit and leave files as `LF` in the working tree:

```bash
git config --global core.autocrlf input
```

That matches GitHub's advice for Linux and macOS. Prefer a committed `.gitattributes` (for example `* text=auto eol=lf`) when a repo is opened from both Windows and WSL.

## Authentication

Pick one. GCM is the usual choice if Git for Windows is installed. The GitHub CLI is a good alternative. Use SSH if you prefer keys over HTTPS.

### Git Credential Manager

GCM is a Windows app. Point WSL Git at the executable Git for Windows installed:

```bash
git config --global credential.helper "/mnt/c/Program\ Files/Git/mingw64/bin/git-credential-manager.exe"
```

On Windows on ARM the binary is under `clangarm64` instead of `mingw64`:

```bash
git config --global credential.helper "/mnt/c/Program\ Files/Git/clangarm64/bin/git-credential-manager.exe"
```

If neither path exists, find it from WSL and reuse that path:

```bash
where.exe git-credential-manager.exe
```

The next `git clone` or `git push` over HTTPS opens a Windows sign-in window. Tokens are stored in Windows Credential Manager and shared with Git for Windows.

If you use Azure DevOps:

```bash
git config --global credential.https://dev.azure.com.useHttpPath true
```

GCM reads Git for Windows' config (`%UserProfile%\.gitconfig`), not WSL's `~/.gitconfig`. Proxy settings for GCM belong on the Windows side.

> [!WARNING]
> 
> Do **not** "fix" a missing GCM binary with `git config --global credential.helper store`. That writes credentials to `~/.git-credentials` in plain text. Fix the path to `git-credential-manager.exe` instead, or use `gh auth login` / SSH.

### GitHub CLI

[`gh auth login`](https://cli.github.com/manual/gh_auth_login) can store GitHub credentials and configure Git for HTTPS.

Ubuntu's `gh` package is often months behind and has shipped broken releases. Install from [GitHub's apt repository](https://github.com/cli/cli/blob/trunk/docs/install_linux.md):

```bash
(type -p wget >/dev/null || (sudo apt update && sudo apt install wget -y)) \
  && sudo mkdir -p -m 755 /etc/apt/keyrings \
  && out=$(mktemp) && wget -nv -O$out https://cli.github.com/packages/githubcli-archive-keyring.gpg \
  && cat $out | sudo tee /etc/apt/keyrings/githubcli-archive-keyring.gpg > /dev/null \
  && sudo chmod go+r /etc/apt/keyrings/githubcli-archive-keyring.gpg \
  && sudo mkdir -p -m 755 /etc/apt/sources.list.d \
  && echo "deb [arch=$(dpkg --print-architecture) signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/githubcli-archive-keyring.gpg] https://cli.github.com/packages stable main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/github-cli.list > /dev/null \
  && sudo apt update \
  && sudo apt install gh -y
```

Then:

```bash
gh auth login
```

Choose **GitHub.com**, **HTTPS**, and **Login with a web browser**. When asked whether to authenticate Git with your GitHub credentials, answer yes.

If the device-flow poll errors with `slow_down`, copy the one-time code, open [https://github.com/login/device](https://github.com/login/device) in your Windows browser yourself, and do not press `Enter` in the terminal until the browser finishes.

### SSH key

GCM and `gh` HTTPS only cover HTTP remotes. For `git@github.com:` URLs, create an Ed25519 key:

### Generate a key

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

Press `Enter` to accept `~/.ssh/id_ed25519` and set a passphrase.

### Add it to the agent

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

### Upload the public key

```bash
# If you installed gh:
gh ssh-key add ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub --title "WSL"

# Or copy it and paste at https://github.com/settings/keys
cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub
```

### Test

```bash
ssh -T git@github.com
```

See GitHub's [SSH key guide](https://docs.github.com/en/authentication/connecting-to-github-with-ssh/generating-a-new-ssh-key-and-adding-it-to-the-ssh-agent) for the full flow.

> [!TIP]
> See: /windows-dev/guide/nodejs
> 
> Next: install Node.js with fnm.

---

- [Git on WSL](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/tutorials/wsl-git)


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