GitHub is a powerful platform for hosting and sharing code, but you may not want all your work or personal details to be public. While your GitHub account itself can’t be made fully private, you can control what others see by adjusting your repository settings and profile visibility.
Here’s how to make your GitHub presence more private.
🔒 1. Make Repositories Private
By default, new repositories on GitHub can be public or private. To make a repository private:
For Existing Repositories:
- Go to your repository on GitHub.
- Click on Settings (top menu bar).
- Scroll to the Danger Zone.
- Click Change repository visibility.
- Select Make private and confirm.
🔐 Private repos can only be accessed by you and collaborators you invite.
For New Repositories:
- When creating a new repo, select Private under Repository visibility.
🙈 2. Hide Your Profile Activity
You can control what activity is shown on your profile:
- Go to your profile settings.
- Under Contribution settings, uncheck:
- “Show private contributions on my profile”
- “Include private contributions in activity overview”
This keeps your work contributions hidden from public view.
👤 3. Keep Your Profile Information Minimal
To reduce your public exposure:
- Avoid adding your real name, location, or social media links.
- Use a neutral profile picture or leave it blank.
- Make your email address private:
- Go to Emails settings
- Check “Keep my email address private”
🛡️ 4. Block Public Forking (For Enterprise Accounts)
If you’re using GitHub Enterprise or a Pro plan, you can disable forking on private repos:
- Go to your repository → Settings
- Under Features, uncheck Allow forking
📝 Summary
| Privacy Action | How to Do It |
|---|---|
| Make a repo private | Settings → Danger Zone → Change visibility |
| Create new repo as private | Choose “Private” during creation |
| Hide contributions | Settings → Profile → Uncheck public contribution options |
| Hide email | Settings → Emails → Keep email private |
| Remove personal details | Don’t fill in profile name, location, or links |
| Disable forking | Settings → Features → Uncheck “Allow forking” (if available) |
🔐 Final Note
While you can’t make your entire GitHub account invisible, these privacy settings give you full control over what others can see or access. This is especially useful for:
- Personal projects
- Early-stage work
- Confidential codebases
- Developers who prefer a low profile
