Installation

Install GitHub Desktop on macOS, Windows, or Linux

System Requirements

Before installing GitHub Desktop, ensure your system meets these requirements:

macOS

• macOS 10.13 High Sierra or later
• 64-bit processor
• At least 500 MB of available disk space

Windows

• Windows 10 (64-bit) or later
• Windows 11 supported
• At least 500 MB of available disk space
• .NET Framework 4.5 or later (usually pre-installed)

Linux

• 64-bit Linux distribution
• Supported distributions: Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, CentOS, openSUSE, and more
• At least 500 MB of available disk space

Installing GitHub Desktop

macOS

1. Download the installer

   Download GitHub Desktop for macOS:

   • macOS (Intel)
   • macOS (Apple Silicon)

   The installer will automatically detect your Mac’s architecture.

2. Install the application

   1. Open the downloaded .zip file
   2. Drag GitHub Desktop.app to your Applications folder
   3. Launch GitHub Desktop from Applications or Spotlight

   On first launch, macOS may ask for permission to open the app. Click Open to continue.

3. Verify installation

   Once launched, GitHub Desktop will:

   1. Prompt you to sign in to GitHub
   2. Configure Git with your account information
   3. Show the welcome screen

   You can verify the installation by checking GitHub Desktop → About GitHub Desktop to see the version number.

Alternative: Homebrew

You can also install GitHub Desktop using Homebrew:

brew install --cask github

Windows

1. Download the installer

   Download GitHub Desktop for Windows:

   • Windows (User Install)
   • Windows (Machine-wide MSI)

   The user install is recommended for most users. Use the MSI installer for enterprise deployments.

2. Run the installer

   1. Run the downloaded GitHubDesktopSetup.exe or .msi file
   2. Follow the installation wizard
   3. GitHub Desktop will launch automatically after installation

   The installer may require administrator privileges for machine-wide installations.

3. Verify installation

   Once launched, GitHub Desktop will:

   1. Prompt you to sign in to GitHub
   2. Configure Git with your account information
   3. Show the welcome screen

   You can verify the installation by checking Help → About GitHub Desktop to see the version number.

Alternative: Package Managers

winget

winget install github-desktop

Linux

Linux is not officially supported by GitHub, but community packages are available through the shiftkey/desktop fork.

1. Choose your distribution

   Visit the shiftkey/desktop releases page to find packages for your distribution:

   • .deb packages for Debian/Ubuntu
   • .rpm packages for Fedora/CentOS/RHEL
   • .AppImage for universal Linux support
2. Install the package

   Debian/Ubuntu

   # Download the .deb package
   wget https://github.com/shiftkey/desktop/releases/download/release-X.X.X-linuxX/GitHubDesktop-linux-amd64-X.X.X-linuxX.deb
   
   # Install with apt
   sudo apt install ./GitHubDesktop-linux-amd64-X.X.X-linuxX.deb
   

   Fedora/CentOS/RHEL

   # Download the .rpm package
   wget https://github.com/shiftkey/desktop/releases/download/release-X.X.X-linuxX/GitHubDesktop-linux-X.X.X-linuxX.rpm
   
   # Install with dnf or yum
   sudo dnf install ./GitHubDesktop-linux-X.X.X-linuxX.rpm
   

   AppImage

   # Download the AppImage
   wget https://github.com/shiftkey/desktop/releases/download/release-X.X.X-linuxX/GitHubDesktop-linux-amd64-X.X.X-linuxX.AppImage
   
   # Make it executable
   chmod +x GitHubDesktop-linux-amd64-X.X.X-linuxX.AppImage
   
   # Run it
   ./GitHubDesktop-linux-amd64-X.X.X-linuxX.AppImage
   
3. Launch and verify

   Launch GitHub Desktop from your application menu or by running github-desktop from the terminal.

   The application will prompt you to sign in and configure your Git settings.

Beta Channel

Want to test new features before they’re released to everyone? Install the beta channel:

macOS

• macOS Beta (Intel)
• macOS Beta (Apple Silicon)

Windows

• Windows Beta
• Windows Beta (ARM64)

Beta builds may contain bugs and unstable features. Use at your own risk.

Release notes for beta versions are available at desktop.github.com/release-notes/?env=beta.

First Launch

After installing GitHub Desktop, you’ll be guided through initial setup:

1. Sign in to GitHub

   Click Sign in to GitHub.com and authorize GitHub Desktop in your browser.

   For GitHub Enterprise, click Sign in to GitHub Enterprise Server and enter your server URL.

2. Configure Git

   GitHub Desktop will automatically configure Git with:

   • Your GitHub username
   • Your GitHub email address

   You can change these later in Preferences → Git.

3. Choose repositories

   You can:

   • Clone a repository from GitHub
   • Add an existing local repository
   • Create a new repository

Verifying Your Installation

To verify GitHub Desktop is installed correctly:

1. Open GitHub Desktop
2. Go to About GitHub Desktop (macOS) or Help → About GitHub Desktop (Windows/Linux)
3. Check the version number
4. Run a test by cloning a repository

GitHub Desktop requires Git to be installed. The app includes a bundled version of Git via dugite, so you don’t need to install Git separately.

Troubleshooting Installation

If you encounter issues during installation:

macOS: 'GitHub Desktop is damaged and can't be opened'

This is a macOS Gatekeeper issue. To fix:

1. Open Terminal
2. Run: xattr -cr /Applications/GitHub\ Desktop.app
3. Try launching again

Windows: Installation hangs or fails

1. Ensure you have administrator privileges
2. Temporarily disable antivirus software
3. Try the MSI installer instead of the user installer
4. Check Windows Event Viewer for error details

Linux: Missing dependencies

Ensure you have required dependencies:

Ubuntu/Debian

sudo apt install libsecret-1-0 gnome-keyring

Fedora/RHEL

sudo dnf install libsecret gnome-keyring

For more troubleshooting help, see our Troubleshooting Guide.

Next Steps

Quickstart Guide

Get started with your first repository

Configuration

Customize GitHub Desktop to your preferences