Introduction
Desktop is a free, open source application that helps you to work with code hosted on or other Git hosting services. With Desktop, you can perform Git commands, such as committing and pushing changes, in a graphical user interface, rather than using the command line. For more information, see About Desktop.
This guide will help you get started with Desktop by setting up the application, authenticating your account, configuring basic settings, and introducing the fundamentals of managing projects with Desktop. You will be able to use Desktop to collaborate on projects and connect to remote repositories after working through this guide.
You might find it helpful to have a basic understanding of Git and before getting started with Desktop. For more information, see the following articles.
Desktop is an open source project. You can see the roadmap, contribute to the project, or open an issue to provide feedback or feature requests. For more information, see the desktop/desktop repository.
Part 1: Installing and authenticating
You can install Desktop on any supported operating system. For more information, see Supported operating systems for Desktop.
To install Desktop, visit the download page for Desktop. For more information, see Installing Desktop.
After you have installed Desktop, you can authenticate the application with your account on or Enterprise. Authenticating allows you to connect to remote repositories on or Enterprise.
Before you can authenticate to or Enterprise, you will need an account. For more information, see Creating an account on .
In the menu bar, select Desktop, then click Settings.
In the "Settings" window, on the Accounts pane, click the appropriate "Sign Into" button. Use Sign Into Enterprise to sign into Enterprise Server or Enterprise Cloud with data residency.
Follow the steps to sign in. For more information about authentication, see Authenticating to in Desktop.
Before you can authenticate to or Enterprise, you will need an account. For more information, see Creating an account on .
Use the File menu, then click Options.
In the "Options" window, on the Accounts pane, click the appropriate "Sign Into" button. Use Sign Into Enterprise to sign into Enterprise Server or Enterprise Cloud with data residency.
Follow the steps to sign in. For more information about authentication, see Authenticating to in Desktop.
Part 2: Configuring and customizing Desktop
After you install Desktop, you can configure and customize the app to best suit your needs.
You can connect or remove accounts on or Enterprise, choose a default text editor or shell, edit your Git configuration, change the appearance of Desktop, customize system dialog boxes, and set privacy preferences in the Desktop Settings window. For more information, see Configuring basic settings in Desktop.
You can connect or remove accounts on or Enterprise, choose a default text editor or shell, edit your Git configuration, change the appearance of Desktop, customize system dialog boxes, and set privacy preferences in the Desktop Options window. For more information, see Configuring basic settings in Desktop.
Part 3: Contributing to projects with Desktop
After installing, authenticating, and configuring the app, you are ready to start using Desktop. You can create, add, or clone repositories and use Desktop to manage contributions to your repositories.
Creating, adding, and cloning repositories
You can create a new repository by selecting File in the " Desktop" menu bar and clicking New repository.... For more information, see Creating your first repository using Desktop.
You can add a repository from your local computer by selecting File and clicking Add Local Repository.... For more information, see Adding a repository from your local computer to Desktop.
You can clone a repository from by selecting File and clicking Clone Repository.... For more information, see Cloning and forking repositories from Desktop.
Making changes in a branch
You can use Desktop to create a branch of a project. Branches isolate your development work from other branches in the repository, so that you can safely experiment with changes. For more information, see Managing branches in Desktop.
After you make changes to a branch, you can review them in Desktop and make a commit to keep track of your changes. For more information, see Committing and reviewing changes to your project in Desktop.
If you want to access your changes remotely or share them with other people, you can push your commits to . For more information, see Pushing changes to from Desktop.
Collaborating with Desktop
You can use Desktop to create issues or pull requests to collaborate on projects with other people. Issues help you keep track of ideas and discuss possible changes to projects. Pull requests let you share your proposed changes with others, receive feedback, and merge changes into a project. For more information, see Creating an issue or pull request from Desktop.
You can view your own or your collaborator's pull requests in Desktop. Viewing a pull request in Desktop lets you see any proposed changes and make additional changes by opening the project's files and repositories in your default text editor. For more information, see Viewing a pull request in Desktop.
Keeping your local repository in sync
When you make changes to your local repositories or when other people make changes to the remote repositories, you will need to sync your local copy of the project with the remote repository. Desktop can keep your local copy of a project in sync with the remote version by pushing and pulling commits. For more information, see Syncing your branch in Desktop.