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Step 3: Install Git

Before you can use Git, you need to install it on your computer. Don't worry — it's free and takes just a few minutes!


Windows

  1. 1.Go to git-scm.com/download/win
  2. 2.Download the installer and run it
  3. 3.Click "Next" through every screen (the defaults are fine!)

macOS

Open Terminal and run:

bash
brew install git

If you don't have Homebrew, Git may already be installed. Try running git --version first.


Linux (Ubuntu/Debian)

bash
sudo apt update && sudo apt install git

Verify Installation

After installing, open your terminal and type:

bash
git --version

You should see something like git version 2.x.x. If you do, congratulations — Git is installed!

Set Up Your Identity

Tell Git who you are. This name and email will appear in your commits:

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

Common Mistakes

  • "git is not recognized" — Restart your terminal after installing. On Windows, make sure Git was added to your PATH during installation.
  • Wrong email? — Use the same email you used for your GitHub account.

Quick Summary

  • Download Git from git-scm.com (free!)
  • Verify with git --version
  • Configure your name and email with git config