Install Git on Windows, Ubuntu & macOS: A Quick Guide

The moment you dive into programming or development, the first thing you are going to bump into is Git. It’s like some sort of lifeblood in the modern software development arena that helps teams track changes in code without completely messing up a project. Be it solo or with a team, when it comes to coding, Git is the way to go. Installation of Git is not rocket science.

I’ll guide you through the entire process that you would have to go through with no muss, only some practical steps.

Anyway, in the following section, you will learn about the system requirements before we start.

System Requirements

Before you rush to install Git, let’s talk about the basics. Luckily, Git is lightweight and can run on pretty much any modern system. But just to be sure, here’s what you need:

• Operating System: Windows: at least Windows 7 or later. You don’t need to have the latest and greatest version of Windows, but you’ll want to at least have something newer than XP. For crying out loud, upgrade if you’re still running that.
• macOS: If you’re on macOS, you’re mostly covered. Anything from macOS 10.9 (Mavericks) onward should be fine. But if you’re on some ancient version, you might hit a few snags.
• Linux: Any recent version of Ubuntu, Fedora, or any Linux distro will work. If you’re into the nitty-gritty, Git’s been included in most distros for a while now, so you’re probably good.

First, make sure you have administrator rights on your machine, or this process could be a whole lot more annoying than it needs to be.

Installing Git on Windows

All right, Windows users, you get the special treatment first. 

Download the latest version of Git for Windows: Go to the official Git website: git-scm.com. When you open it you will see the screen as below.

Run the installer: You know, just double-click that .exe file you downloaded, and voil – the installation wizard pops up. It’s pretty straightforward from here. Just keep clicking “Next” until you reach the “Select Components” screen.

Choices to be made: Now, this is where you can customize Git to your liking. I recommend you check the box that says, “Use Git from the command line and also from 3rd-party software.” It makes life fairly easier.

Change your PATH environment: If you are unsure what this is, don’t worry just leave it at the default (recommended).

Line endings?: You’ll also be asked how to handle line endings (Windows vs. UNIX). You can just accept the default, which is to convert CRLF to LF.

Finish the installation: Click through the remaining steps until you see “Finish.” Ta-da! Git is installed on your Windows computer.

Check Git Bash Installation

Ok, so now you have Git, but let’s make sure everything is functioning correctly.

Launch Git Bash: Just press the Start menu and type “Git Bash.” It should show you a terminal with a blinking cursor.

Test the installation: That can be done by running this command:

git --version

You should see something like the git version 2.x.x. If you do, congrats you’ve installed Git like a pro. Otherwise, go review those steps, or you may need to re-run the installer. Now, Git Bash is your playground for Git commands on Windows.

If you are feeling extra adventurous, the following commands can be run from the regular Command Prompt. But I recommend keeping the commands limited to Git Bash as it’s designed that way to make things easier.

Let’s go to the Ubuntu operating system installation procedure.

Installing Git Bash on Ubuntu

Alright, Linux users—particularly Ubuntu ones—this is where things get really simple. Compared to Windows, which was pretty simple, installing Git on Ubuntu is even easier. Again, no installer to download, no headaches.

Open the terminal: Under Ubuntu, you can do this by Ctrl + Alt + T.

Update your package index: It is always a good practice before installing any software. Run this:

git apt update

This ensures you have the latest software packages. So, to Install Git Here’s the magic command:

git apt install git

Confirm that it installed: Once it finishes installing, make sure that it did so:

git --version

You should see something like git version 2.x.x, and just like that, Git is installed.

There’s really nothing else to it on Ubuntu. No weird configurations, no extra steps—just straight to the point.

In the next section, I will switch to another popular OS and show you how Git can be installed there. Now, let’s get started.

Installing Git Bash on macOS

For macOS users, you’re probably thinking that should be a bit more complicated; let me assure you, it is almost as painless as Ubuntu. Apple’s got your back.

Use Homebrew: If you’ve got Homebrew installed, that’s the easiest way to go. No Homebrew? Get it first by running:

/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

Install Git: When Homebrew’s all installed, run:

brew install git

Check Git: As usual, let’s check that the installation is ok:

git --version

If you are not using Homebrew, you can install Git at anytime using Xcode Command Line Tools. Just run:

xcode-select --install

But believe me, Homebrew is cleaner and easier. Anyway, in the following section, you will learn how to configure git in your machine.

Configure Git with Email and Username

So, you have installed Git, but you aren’t quite done. Git needs to know something about you. Basically it can attribute your commits correctly. This part is super important especially when you start collaborating with other people.

Setting Username: Fire up your terminal (or Git Bash if you’re on Windows) and run the following:

git config --global user.name [YOUR NAME HERE]

Change “YOUR NAME HERE” to your actual name. This will be the name that appears beside your commits, so make sure it’s accurate.

Set your email: This is where you need to set your email address. Run:

git config --global user.email[YOUR EMAIL HERE]

Again, replace the email with “YOUR EMAIL HERE”. If you’re using GitHub, make sure it is the same address as the one linked to your account.

Double-check your config: Confirm that everything has been set up correctly by running:

git config --list

You’ll now see a list of all the configuration settings for Git; your username and email are included: This is an important step since Git uses this information to keep track of who makes changes to the code. Don’t skip it! 

Let’s summarize it.

Wrapping Up

There you have a complete tour of how to get Git up and running on any system you could possibly have. Whether you’re rocking Windows, Ubuntu, or macOS, Git is ready to go on your machine. The best part of it all is that once you have Git installed, it’s all command-line from here. You’re ready to start version-controlling like a boss.

You should think at this point that Git is not about having commits and pushing code-its main meaning is being responsible for your development history, working seamlessly with others, and making sure no one accidentally deletes the whole thing-it happens, trust me. Also, as you saw, Git is going to be a key skill even with AI evolving and trying to automate our lives.

Now go change the world in version control. Your future in coding awaits, and Git’s going to help you get there.