First-Time Git Configuration

After installing Git, you should configure the identity that Git will attach to your commits.

Every Git commit records information about its author, including a name and an email address.

You usually configure this information once for your operating-system user account.

Configuration Is Not Account Login

Running git config does not sign you in to GitHub and does not create a GitHub account.

It only tells Git which author name and email should be written inside your future commits.

Configure Your Author Name

Run the following command and replace Your Name with the name you want to display in your commits:

git config --global user.name "Your Name"

Example:

git config --global user.name "Omar Ahmed"

The value of user.name is the author name stored in your commits.

It does not have to be the same as your GitHub username. It is normally your real name or the professional name you want other contributors to see.

Configure Your Author Email

Run the following command and replace the example address with your email:

git config --global user.email "you@example.com"

Example:

git config --global user.email "omar@example.com"

Git stores this email in the commits you create.

If you want GitHub to associate your commits with your GitHub profile, use an email address that is added to and verified on your GitHub account.

Email Privacy

If you do not want your personal email to appear publicly in your commits, GitHub can provide a private noreply email address.

Copy the exact address from your GitHub email settings and configure Git to use it. Do not invent the address because its format can depend on your GitHub account.

Set the Default Branch Name

New Git repositories require an initial branch name. You can configure Git to use main by default:

git config --global init.defaultBranch main

After setting this option, repositories created using git init will start with a branch named main.

This setting affects newly initialized repositories. It does not automatically rename branches in repositories that already exist.

Review Your Git Configuration

To display the configuration values currently available to Git, run:

git config --list

You may see output similar to:

user.name=Omar Ahmed
user.email=omar@example.com
init.defaultbranch=main

To see each value together with the configuration file from which Git loaded it, use:

git config --list --show-origin

This command is especially useful when the same setting exists in more than one configuration file.

Check One Setting

You can also read one configuration value at a time:

git config --global user.name

git config --global user.email

git config --global init.defaultBranch

What Does --global Mean?

The --global option saves the setting for the current operating-system user.

These settings are then used as defaults in Git repositories opened by that user.

On most systems, global Git configuration is stored in a file inside the user’s home directory, commonly named:

~/.gitconfig

Global Does Not Mean GitHub

The word global does not mean that the setting is uploaded to GitHub or shared over the internet.

It means that the setting applies globally to Git repositories used by the current user on this computer.

Git Configuration Levels

Git configuration can exist at several levels:

Level	Command option	Applies to
System	--system	Every user on the computer
Global	--global	The current operating-system user
Local	--local	The current Git repository
Worktree	--worktree	A specific Git worktree when enabled

For beginners, --global is normally used for the default name, email, and initial branch.

A project can override a global setting using a local configuration.

For example, to use a different email in the current repository only:

git config --local user.email "work@example.com"

Local settings have priority over global settings for that repository.

Correct a Configuration Value

If you entered the wrong name or email, run the command again with the correct value:

git config --global user.name "Correct Name"

git config --global user.email "correct@example.com"

The new value replaces the previous global value.

Existing Commits Do Not Change

Updating your Git configuration affects future commits only.

Commits that were already created keep their original author information unless their history is deliberately rewritten.

Recommended First-Time Commands

Replace the placeholders with your own information:

git config --global user.name "Your Name"
git config --global user.email "you@example.com"
git config --global init.defaultBranch main
git config --list --show-origin

Common Mistakes

Using a GitHub username as user.name

This is allowed, but it is not required. user.name represents the author name shown in commits, not your GitHub login credentials.

Assuming the email is private

The configured email becomes part of your commits and may be visible in public repository history. Use GitHub’s noreply email if privacy is important.

Expecting git config to sign in to GitHub

Author configuration and authentication are separate concepts. Authentication for operations such as push is configured later using HTTPS credentials or SSH keys.

Forgetting quotation marks

Use quotation marks around values that contain spaces:

git config --global user.name "Omar Ahmed"

Key Takeaway

Git needs an author name and email so it can identify who created each commit.

Use --global to configure defaults for your current operating-system user, set main as the default branch for new repositories, and review the stored values using git config --list --show-origin.

These settings identify your commits, but they do not sign you in to GitHub.