GitHub Desktop
A desktop app for using Git and GitHub through a visual interface instead of the command line.desktop/desktop
- Stars
- 22k
- Forks
- 10.7k
- Licence
- MIT
- Language
- TypeScript
- Last update
- 6 days ago
- Type
- App
What it is
GitHub Desktop is an open-source app built with Electron and TypeScript that lets you manage Git repositories and GitHub projects with buttons and screens instead of typed commands. It shows your changes, lets you commit them, and handles common syncing tasks. People use it to make Git workflows easier to follow, especially when they do not want to memorize command-line syntax.
- Review file changes line by line before committing them
- Commit changes and push them to a GitHub repository
- Switch between branches and sync a local clone with its remote
- Install through winget, Chocolatey, or Homebrew on supported systems
Great for
- Developers who work with GitHub and prefer a visual interface for commits and branches
- Beginners learning Git concepts who want to see changes before committing
- Teams who want a shared, consistent way to handle common Git tasks on Windows or macOS
Not ideal for
- Linux users, because the README says Linux is not officially supported and only community forks offer Linux installers
- People who need advanced command-line Git operations, since the app focuses on common workflows
- Users who need a non-GitHub Git host as their main workflow, since the app is described as a GitHub app
How to get it
- 1
Download the app
Windows install via winget (community package)
c:\> winget install github-desktopmacOS install via Homebrew (community package)
$ brew install --cask github - 2
Run it
- Install GitHub Desktop using the official installer for your operating system
- Open the app and sign in to your GitHub account
- Clone an existing repository or add a local one
- Make a change to a file and review it in the changes view
- Write a commit message and commit, then push to GitHub
- 3
Get the most out of it
- Try the beta channel if you want early features and fixes before the general release
- Read the getting started documentation on docs.github.com for setup and authentication
- Check the known issues list for workarounds before reporting a bug
- Use the help wanted label if you want to contribute to the project
Downloads
Strengths
- Open source under the MIT license, with a public issue tracker and contribution guide
- Official installers for macOS and Windows, plus a beta channel for early builds
- Documents its focus and intended audience in a separate project document
Trade-offs
- Officially supports only macOS and Windows; Linux relies on community forks
- Known issues are tracked publicly, and the README notes maintainers have limited time for individual support
- Built on Electron, so it is a large desktop application relative to a plain Git client
How it compares
| Project | Stars | Type | Level | Updated | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| desktop (this) | 22k | App | beginner | 6 days ago | Developers who work with GitHub and prefer a visual interface for commits and branches |
| gitea | 58.8k | App | intermediate | 4 days ago | Teams that want to host their own code instead of using a public cloud service |
| PicGo | 27.5k | App | beginner | 17 days ago | Bloggers and note-takers who paste screenshots into Markdown editors |
| git-history | 13.7k | App | beginner | 2.1 years ago | Developers trying to understand why a file looks the way it does |
| github-cheat-sheet | 60.1k | Curated list | beginner | 2.6 years ago | Developers who already use Git and GitHub daily and want to discover lesser-known features |
| marktext | 63.5k | App | beginner | 4 days ago | People who write notes or articles in Markdown and want a clean, minimal editor |
Stats synced from GitHub. The assessment above was drafted with AI from the project's README on 2026-10-29 and may miss recent changes — check the README before relying on a command. MIT licence: free to use, modify and distribute, including commercially, as long as you keep the copyright notice.