How to install Git for beginners (and what it actually does)

In this lesson, you'll learn what Git is and how to install it on your computer. By the end, you'll have Git running and understand why it's the first tool every developer installs, before they write a single line of code.

Key Takeaways

• Git is a version control system: it tracks every change you make to your files, so you can go back in time if something breaks
• Git and GitHub are not the same thing. Git is the tool on your computer; GitHub is a website
• On Windows, Git installs a bonus terminal called Git Bash — useful for all developer commands, not just Git
• After installing, run git --version in your terminal to confirm it worked

You've already done manual version control

Have you ever renamed a file something like this?

essay_final.docx
essay_final_v2.docx
essay_final_v2_FINAL.docx
essay_final_v2_REALLY_FINAL.docx

That is version control. You did it manually because you were scared of losing work, so you kept making copies, each one with a slightly more desperate filename.

Git does the same thing, but automatically, properly, and reversibly. You make changes, tell Git to save a snapshot, and Git records exactly what changed and when. You can go back to any snapshot at any point. No more desperate filenames.

Every developer uses Git. It is not optional. But it is also much simpler than most tutorials make it sound, especially at the install stage.

What Git actually does

Git tracks every change you make to the files in a project folder. Think of it as a time machine for your code. You can:

• Go back in time. Break something? Revert to yesterday's working version in seconds.
• Try risky experiments. Create a separate "branch" to test a new idea, without touching your working code. If the experiment fails, delete the branch. Your original code is untouched.
• Share code with others. When you're ready, push your work to a hosting service like GitHub so teammates can see it.

You don't need to understand commits or branches in depth right now. That comes in the next module. For this lesson, just focus on installing Git so the tool is ready when you need it.

If you haven't installed Python yet, the install Python lesson covers that step.

How to install Git

On Windows

Go to git-scm.com/downloads and click Download for Windows.

Run the installer. You will see a long series of option screens, leave every setting at its default and keep clicking Next. The defaults are carefully chosen and correct for beginners.

When the install finishes, you will notice a new app on your computer called Git Bash. This is a terminal that comes bundled with Git.

To confirm Git installed, open Git Bash (or Command Prompt, or PowerShell, any terminal works) and run:

git --version

You should see something like:

git version 2.45.2.windows.1

On Mac

Mac often has Git pre-installed. Open your terminal and run:

git --version

If Git is already there, you will see a version number and you are done.

If you see a prompt asking you to install Xcode Command Line Tools, click Install, this is the easiest way to get Git on Mac. It takes a few minutes.

If neither worked, download the Mac installer from git-scm.com/downloads and run it normally.

Your Task

git --version

git version 2.x.x

Ready to keep going? The Getting Started path has the full module sequence.