Configuring Git

You only have to configure Git once per machine, and it takes a minute. Git needs to know who you are so it can label your work, and there's one default worth changing while you're at it.

Set your Git name and email with git config

Every commit you make is stamped with a name and an email address. Set them once with these two commands:

git config --global user.name "Ada Lovelace"
git config --global user.email "ada@example.com"

Let's break that down:

• git config is the command for reading and changing Git's settings.
• --global means "apply this to every project on this computer" (more on that below).
• user.name and user.email are the settings you're changing.

Use your real name and the email you'll use for your projects. If you plan to use GitHub later, use the same email as your GitHub account so your commits get linked to you.

Global vs local config: what --global means

Git settings live at two levels:

• Global settings apply to every project for your user account. That's what --global does. Your name and email usually belong here so you don't set them again for each project.
• Local settings apply to a single project only, and they override the global ones. You set them by running git config without --global while inside that project's folder.

For example, if one project needs a different email:

git config user.email "work@company.com"

Run inside that project's folder, this overrides the global email for that project only. You'll create your first project folder in the next lesson - for now, just know the difference exists.

Set the default branch to main

When Git creates a new project, it makes a first branch to hold your work. For years the default name was master; the modern convention is main, and it's what GitHub and this course use.

Set it once so every new project starts on main:

git config --global init.defaultBranch main

We'll explain what a branch actually is in a later chapter. For now this just makes sure your projects use the same name everyone else does.

One thing worth knowing: this setting only affects projects you create after running it. It never renames the branch in a project you already made, so set it before you create your first repository in the next lesson and you won't have to think about it again.

Check your config with git config --list

To see everything Git currently has configured, run:

git config --list

You'll see your values listed, something like:

user.name=Ada Lovelace
user.email=ada@example.com
init.defaultbranch=main

If your name and email are there, you're set up correctly.

Why does my Git name only save the first word?

A quick one: forgetting the quotes around your name. Because a name has a space in it, this fails or only saves the first word:

git config --global user.name Ada Lovelace

Always wrap values that contain spaces in double quotes, like "Ada Lovelace".

FAQ

Do I have to set this up for every project?

No. Because you used --global, your name and email apply to every project on your computer. You only set them again if a specific project needs different values.

Will my email be public?

If you push commits to a public GitHub project, the email in your commits is visible in that history. If that concerns you, GitHub offers a privacy email address you can use instead - something to keep in mind for later.

Can I change these settings later?

Yes, anytime. Just run the same git config --global command again with the new value and it overwrites the old one.