When working with Git from the command line using Git Bash, you’ll often need to log in to authenticate with services like GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket. This login process is essential for pushing, pulling, and cloning private repositories or making commits under your identity.
In this blog post, we’ll walk through how to log in to Git using Git Bash on Windows and connect your Git account to platforms like GitHub using HTTPS or SSH.
✅ What Is Git Bash?
Git Bash is an application for Windows that provides a Bash emulation environment to run Git commands. It comes bundled with the Git for Windows installation.
If you haven’t already installed it, download it from:
👉 https://git-scm.com/downloads
✍️ Step 1: Set Your Git Identity
Before logging in, configure your name and email, which will be used in your commit history.
Open Git Bash and run:
git config --global user.name "Your Name"
git config --global user.email "yo********@ex*****.com"
You can verify with:
git config --list
🔐 Step 2: Log In Using HTTPS (Personal Access Token)
If you’re using HTTPS (the default method for GitHub), authentication is required when pushing or cloning private repos.
➤ Clone or Push for the First Time
When you run:
git clone https://github.com/yourusername/your-repo.git
Git will prompt:
Username: your GitHub username
Password: your GitHub personal access token
⚠️ As of August 2021, GitHub no longer accepts passwords. Use a Personal Access Token (PAT) instead.
➤ Generate a Personal Access Token (PAT)
- Go to GitHub Tokens Settings
- Click “Generate new token (classic)”
- Select scopes like
repo,read:org, etc. - Copy and save the token securely
Paste this token in Git Bash when prompted as your password.
🔐 Step 3: Log In Using SSH (Recommended for Frequent Users)
Using SSH keys allows you to authenticate without entering a username/token every time.
➤ Generate an SSH Key
In Git Bash, run:
ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "yo********@ex*****.com"
Press Enter to accept defaults. It will generate:
~/.ssh/id_ed25519
~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub
➤ Add SSH Key to GitHub
- Copy the public key:
cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub
- Go to GitHub SSH Settings
- Click “New SSH key”
- Paste your key and give it a title
➤ Test SSH Connection
ssh -T gi*@gi****.com
If successful, you’ll see:
Hi yourusername! You've successfully authenticated.
✅ Summary of Git Bash Login Options
| Method | Steps |
|---|---|
| HTTPS (One-Time) | Use GitHub username + PAT when prompted |
| SSH (Permanent) | Generate key, add to GitHub, and authenticate silently |
🔄 Bonus: Cache HTTPS Credentials (Optional)
To avoid typing credentials every time (HTTPS), you can enable credential caching:
git config --global credential.helper cache
Or store them permanently:
git config --global credential.helper store
⚠️ Use
storewith caution — credentials are saved in plaintext.
🚀 Final Thoughts
Logging into Git via Git Bash is a one-time setup that pays off in speed and convenience. For one-off tasks, HTTPS + PAT works well, but for a smooth developer experience, SSH is the preferred choice.
Whether you’re pushing code to GitHub, collaborating on open-source, or managing private projects, mastering Git login is an essential first step.
