GitHub Starter Guide

A step-by-step guide for absolute beginners. No prior experience required.

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Table of Contents

1. Create a GitHub Account
2. Install Git
3. Install the GitHub CLI
4. Log In with the GitHub CLI
5. Verify Everything Works
6. Open a Pull Request (PR)
7. What Now?

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1. Create a GitHub Account

1. Open your web browser and go to https://github.com
2. Click the Sign up button in the top-right corner.
3. Enter your email address and click Continue.
4. Choose a password (at least 15 characters, OR at least 8 characters with a number and a lowercase letter).
5. Pick a username — this will be your public identity on GitHub (e.g. janedoe42). It can only contain letters, numbers, and hyphens.
6. GitHub will ask if you want to receive email updates — type y or n and continue.
7. Solve the puzzle to prove you're a human, then click Create account.
8. Check your email for a verification code, enter it on the GitHub page, and you're in.

Tip: Bookmark https://github.com — you'll be coming back a lot.

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2. Install Git

Git is the version-control tool that runs on your computer. GitHub is the website that hosts your code. You need both.

Mac

Open the app called Terminal (search for "Terminal" in Spotlight — press Cmd + Space and type Terminal).

Paste this command and press Enter:

git --version

• If Git is already installed, you'll see a version number like git version 2.39.0. You can skip ahead.
• If Git is not installed, macOS will pop up a dialog asking you to install the Command Line Developer Tools. Click Install, agree to the license, and wait. This gives you Git (and other useful tools) without needing Homebrew or anything else.

After installation finishes, run git --version again to confirm.

Windows

1. Go to https://git-scm.com/download/win — the download should start automatically.
2. Run the installer (.exe file).
3. Click Next through each screen. The defaults are fine for beginners — don't change anything unless you know what it does.
4. On the "Adjusting your PATH" screen, make sure "Git from the command line and also from 3rd-party software" is selected (it's the default).
5. Keep clicking Next, then Install, then Finish.
6. Open the app called Git Bash (search for it in the Start menu). Type:

git --version

You should see a version number. You're good.

Linux (Ubuntu / Debian)

Open a terminal and run:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install git -y

Then verify:

git --version

Linux (Fedora)

sudo dnf install git -y

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3. Install the GitHub CLI

The GitHub CLI (gh) lets you do GitHub things — create repos, open pull requests, manage issues — right from your terminal instead of switching to the browser.

Mac (no Homebrew needed)

1. Go to https://github.com/cli/cli/releases/latest

2. Scroll down to Assets.

3. Download the file that ends in _macOS_amd64.zip (Intel Mac) or _macOS_arm64.zip (Apple Silicon — M1/M2/M3/M4 Mac).

   Not sure which Mac you have? Click the Apple logo in the top-left of your screen → About This Mac. If it says "Apple M1" or "Apple M2" (or similar), you have Apple Silicon. If it says "Intel", download the amd64 version.

4. Double-click the .zip file to unzip it — you'll get a folder.

5. Open Terminal and run these commands (adjust the folder name if the version number is different):

cd ~/Downloads

If the extracted folder is named something like gh_2.74.0_macOS_arm64, run:

sudo cp gh_*_macOS_*/bin/gh /usr/local/bin/

Type your Mac password when prompted (you won't see characters as you type — that's normal).

6. Verify it worked:

gh --version

You should see something like gh version 2.74.0.

Windows

1. Go to https://github.com/cli/cli/releases/latest
2. Scroll down to Assets.
3. Download gh_X.X.X_windows_amd64.msi (the .msi file).
4. Run the installer. Click Next through each screen, then Install, then Finish.
5. Close and reopen Git Bash (or Command Prompt / PowerShell).
6. Type:

gh --version

You should see the version number.

Linux (Ubuntu / Debian)

Run these commands one at a time:

sudo mkdir -p /etc/apt/keyrings

curl -fsSL https://cli.github.com/packages/githubcli-archive-keyring.gpg | sudo tee /etc/apt/keyrings/githubcli-archive-keyring.gpg > /dev/null

sudo chmod go+r /etc/apt/keyrings/githubcli-archive-keyring.gpg

echo "deb [arch=$(dpkg --print-architecture) signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/githubcli-archive-keyring.gpg] https://cli.github.com/packages stable main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/github-cli.list > /dev/null

sudo apt update

sudo apt install gh -y

Then verify:

gh --version

Linux (Fedora)

sudo dnf install 'dnf-command(config-manager)' -y
sudo dnf config-manager --add-repo https://cli.github.com/packages/rpm/gh-cli.repo
sudo dnf install gh -y

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4. Log In with the GitHub CLI

Now you need to connect the CLI to your GitHub account.

In your terminal, run:

gh auth login

You'll be asked a series of questions. Here's what to pick:

Prompt	Choose
Where do you use GitHub?	GitHub.com
What is your preferred protocol?	HTTPS
Authenticate Git with your GitHub credentials?	Yes
How would you like to authenticate?	Login with a web browser

It will show you a one-time code. Press Enter, and your browser will open a GitHub page. Paste the code there, click Authorize, and you're done.

Back in your terminal, you should see a success message.

Tip: To confirm you're logged in at any time, run gh auth status.

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5. Verify Everything Works

Run these three commands:

git --version
gh --version
gh auth status

If all three give you output without errors, you are fully set up. Nice work.

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6. Open a Pull Request (PR)

A pull request is a request to merge your changes into another branch (usually main). It lets others review your work before it becomes part of the shared project.

Before you start: Clone the repo and cd into it, or open a folder that is already a Git repo. If you are not sure, run git status — if you see branch info and file lists, you are in a repo.

Step 1: Get the latest code

git checkout main
git pull origin main

(If your default branch is named master, use that instead of main.)

Step 2: Create a branch for your work

Pick a short, descriptive branch name (for example add-sandbox-readme or fix-typo-in-guide):

git checkout -b your-branch-name

Step 3: Make your changes

Edit files, add new ones, or move things around. The sandbox/ folder is a good place for experiments that should not mix with official team areas.

Step 4: Save your work in Git

git status
git add .
git commit -m "Describe your change in one short sentence"

Use a clear commit message so reviewers (and future you) know what changed.

Step 5: Push your branch to GitHub

The first time you push this branch:

git push -u origin your-branch-name

After that, git push is enough for the same branch.

Step 6: Open the PR on GitHub

Option A — In the browser: After git push, GitHub often shows a yellow banner with Compare & pull request. Click it, add a title and a short description of what you did and why, then click Create pull request.

Option B — From the terminal (if you use the GitHub CLI from section 3):

gh pr create

Follow the prompts for title and body, or pass them directly:

gh pr create --title "Your PR title" --body "What changed and why."

After the PR is open

• Respond to review comments and push more commits to the same branch; they appear on the PR automatically.
• When it is approved, someone with permission merges it (or you do, depending on the repo).
• Locally, switch back to main and pull the merged work:

git checkout main
git pull origin main

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7. What Now?

Here are some things to try:

Create your first repo from the terminal:

gh repo create my-first-repo --public --clone
cd my-first-repo
echo "# Hello World" > README.md
git add README.md
git commit -m "first commit"
git push

Clone someone else's repo:

gh repo clone owner/repo-name

Learn more:

• GitHub's official "Hello World" tutorial
• Git handbook
• GitHub CLI manual

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Troubleshooting

"command not found: git" — Git isn't installed or isn't on your PATH. Re-follow the Git installation steps for your OS.

"command not found: gh" — The GitHub CLI isn't installed or isn't on your PATH. On Mac, make sure you copied gh to /usr/local/bin/. On Windows, make sure you reopened your terminal after installing.

"permission denied" on Mac/Linux — You probably need sudo in front of the command. That runs it as an administrator.

My password isn't showing when I type it in Terminal — That's normal. Terminal hides passwords for security. Just type it and press Enter.

"fatal: not a git repository" — You need to cd into a folder that has a Git repo, or run git init to start one.

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Made with care for first-timers.