Git Config: How to Configure Git for Your Workflow

What is git config?

git config reads and writes Git configuration values. Settings can be scoped to a single repository (local), your user account (global), or the entire system. Global settings live in ~/.gitconfig.

Why it matters

Your commits show up with the wrong author name, or Git keeps opening a text editor you don't recognize. You've never configured Git and now things aren't working the way you expect.

Git's default settings are minimal by design. A few minutes of configuration (your name, email, default editor, and a handful of aliases) will save you hours of friction and make every commit properly attributed.

Where it usually goes wrong

• Not setting user.name and user.email before making the first commit
• Mixing up global and local config, ending up with the wrong email on work commits
• Not knowing where the config file actually lives
• Setting config values with typos that Git silently accepts

Git config, step by step

1. 1

   Step 1: Set your name and email (global)

   This is the first thing to do after installing Git. These values appear on every commit you make.

   TerminalCopy commands

   git config --global user.name "Jane Doe"git config --global user.email "jane@example.com"

   Tip: Use the email address associated with your GitHub/GitLab account so contributions are linked to your profile.

2. 2

   Step 2: Override config for a specific repository

   Omit --global to set a value only for the current repo. Useful when you have a work laptop but also contribute to personal projects with a different email.

   TerminalCopy commands

   cd ~/work/company-projectgit config user.email "jane@company.com"

3. 3

   Step 3: Set your default editor

   Git opens a text editor when you write multi-line commit messages or run interactive rebase. Set it to your preferred editor.

   TerminalCopy commands

   # VS Codegit config --global core.editor "code --wait"# Vimgit config --global core.editor "vim"# Nanogit config --global core.editor "nano"

4. 4

   Step 4: Set the default branch name

   Recent Git versions let you configure the initial branch name when creating new repos. Most teams use main now.

   TerminalCopy commands

   git config --global init.defaultBranch main

   

5. 5

   Step 5: Create useful aliases

   Aliases let you create shortcuts for long Git commands you type frequently.

   TerminalCopy commands

   git config --global alias.st "status"git config --global alias.lg "log --oneline --graph --decorate --all"git config --global alias.undo "reset --soft HEAD~1"# Usage:git stgit lg

   Tip: Store your aliases in your dotfiles to carry them across machines.

6. 6

   Step 6: View and edit your config

   List all active settings to verify your config, or open the file directly.

   TerminalCopy commands

   # List all settings and their origingit config --list --show-origin# Open the global config in your editorgit config --global --edit

Mistakes to avoid with git config

Using a personal email on work commits

If you have one global email and you forget to set a repo-local one for work projects, your personal email ends up in company commit history.

Fix: Set user.email at the repo level for work projects, or use Git's includeIf to auto-apply a work config for all repos under a certain path.

Not configuring line endings

On Windows, Git may convert line endings (CRLF) in ways that produce diffs on every file even when nothing changed.

Fix: Set git config --global core.autocrlf true on Windows, or input on macOS.

Typos in config values

Git doesn't validate most config values, so a typo like code --wai will silently break your editor setting.

Fix: Test settings immediately after setting them, and use git config --list to double-check.

Git config in Gitoryx

Gitoryx reads your Git config automatically and displays your name and email in the commit panel, so you can verify your identity before every commit.

• Reads your global and local user.name / user.email automatically
• Displays the commit author in the visual commit panel
• No extra configuration needed: just install and open your repo

Free plan · no account required · macOS, Windows and Linux

Git config: frequently asked questions

Where is the Git global config file located?

On macOS it's ~/.gitconfig. On Windows it's usually C:\Users\<YourName>\.gitconfig. You can open it directly with git config --global --edit.

What is the difference between --global and --local config?

--global applies to all repositories for your user account. --local (the default) applies only to the current repository and is stored in .git/config. Local settings override global ones.

How do I check my current Git config?

Run git config --list to see all active settings. Add --show-origin to see which file each value comes from.

Can I use different emails for different projects automatically?

Yes. Use Git's includeIf directive in your global ~/.gitconfig to automatically load a different config file for all repos under a specific directory path.