GitHub Desktop

GitHub Desktop is a great app for synchronizing files between your computer and GitHub. It is available for Windows and Mac, but not for Linux. If you are using Linux, you can use the command line to sync your files with GitHub, or you can use the GitKraken app, which is available for Linux, Windows, and Mac. However, GitKraken is less intuitive to use, and not recommended for new users (but if you’re running Linux, you can probably handle it!).

Download and install GitHub Desktop

Go to the GitHub Desktop download page, If you are using a newer Mac with an M-series processor (“Apple Silicon”), don’t click the obviously “Download for macOS” button, but instead find the link below it to download the installer for an Apple Silicon Mac. Otherwise, click the Download button for your platform. Once the download is complete, install the app on your computer. On a Mac, this is as simple as dragging the app from your Downloads folder into your Applications folder. On Windows, you will need to run the installer.

Sign in to GitHub within GitHub Desktop

Once you have installed GitHub Desktop, open it. You will be prompted to sign in to your GitHub account. Do this, and allow the authorizations that are requested. You should now see your GitHub username in the top left corner of the GitHub Desktop window.