--- title: Authenticating to GitHub shortTitle: Authentication intro: 'You can securely access your account''s resources on {% data variables.product.prodname_desktop %} by authenticating to {% data variables.product.prodname_dotcom %}.' redirect_from: - /desktop/getting-started-with-github-desktop/authenticating-to-github-using-the-browser - /desktop/getting-started-with-github-desktop/authenticating-to-github - /desktop/installing-and-configuring-github-desktop/authenticating-to-github versions: free-pro-team: '*' --- ### About authentication To keep your account secure, you must authenticate before you can use {% data variables.product.prodname_desktop %} to access resources on {% data variables.product.prodname_dotcom %}. Before you authenticate, {% data reusables.desktop.get-an-account %} {% mac %} ### Authenticating an account on {% data variables.product.prodname_dotcom %} {% data reusables.desktop.mac-select-desktop-menu %} {% data reusables.desktop.mac-select-accounts %} 3. To the right of "{% data variables.product.prodname_dotcom_the_website %}," click **Sign In**. ![The Sign In button for GitHub](/assets/images/help/desktop/mac-sign-in-github.png) 4. In the "Sign in" pane, click **Sign in using your browser**. {% data variables.product.prodname_desktop %} will open your default browser. ![The Sign in using your browser link](/assets/images/help/desktop/sign-in-browser.png) {% data reusables.user_settings.password-authentication-deprecation-desktop %} {% data reusables.desktop.authenticate-in-browser %} {% data reusables.desktop.2fa-in-browser %} 7. After {% data variables.product.prodname_dotcom %} authenticates your account, follow the prompts to return to {% data variables.product.prodname_desktop %}. ### Authenticating an account on {% data variables.product.prodname_enterprise %} {% data reusables.user_settings.password-authentication-deprecation-desktop %} {% data reusables.desktop.mac-select-desktop-menu %} {% data reusables.desktop.mac-select-accounts %} {% data reusables.desktop.choose-product-authenticate %} 4. To add a {% data variables.product.prodname_enterprise %} account, type your credentials under "Enterprise server address," then click **Continue**. ![The Sign In button for GitHub Enterprise](/assets/images/help/desktop/mac-sign-in-button-enterprise.png) {% data reusables.desktop.retrieve-2fa %} {% endmac %} {% windows %} ### Authenticating an account on {% data variables.product.prodname_dotcom %} {% data reusables.desktop.windows-choose-options %} {% data reusables.desktop.windows-select-accounts %} 3. To the right of "GitHub.com," click **Sign in**. ![The Sign In button for GitHub](/assets/images/help/desktop/windows-sign-in-github.png) 4. In the Sign in pane, click **Sign in using your browser**. ![The Sign in using your browser link](/assets/images/help/desktop/sign-in-browser.png) {% data reusables.user_settings.password-authentication-deprecation-desktop %} {% data reusables.desktop.authenticate-in-browser %} {% data reusables.desktop.2fa-in-browser %} 7. After {% data variables.product.prodname_dotcom %} authenticates your account, follow the prompts to return to {% data variables.product.prodname_desktop %}. ### Authenticating an account on {% data variables.product.prodname_enterprise %} {% data reusables.user_settings.password-authentication-deprecation-desktop %} {% data reusables.desktop.windows-choose-options %} {% data reusables.desktop.windows-select-accounts %} {% data reusables.desktop.choose-product-authenticate %} 4. To add a {% data variables.product.prodname_enterprise %} account, type your credentials under "Enterprise server address," then click **Continue**. ![The Sign In button for GitHub Enterprise](/assets/images/help/desktop/windows-sign-in-button-enterprise.png) {% data reusables.desktop.retrieve-2fa %} {% endwindows %} ### Troubleshooting authentication issues If {% data variables.product.prodname_desktop %} encounters an authentication error, you can use error messages to troubleshoot. If you encounter an authentication error, first try signing out and signing back in to your account on {% data variables.product.prodname_desktop %}. For some errors, {% data variables.product.prodname_desktop %} will prompt you with an error message. If you are not prompted, or to find more information about any error, view the {% data variables.product.prodname_desktop %} log files by using the following steps. {% mac %} 1. Use the **Help** drop-down menu and click **Show Logs in Finder**. ![The Show Logs in Finder button](/assets/images/help/desktop/mac-show-logs.png) 2. Select the log file from the date when you encountered the authentication error. {% endmac %} {% windows %} 1. Use the **Help** drop-down menu and click **Show Logs in Explorer**. ![The Show Logs in Explorer button](/assets/images/help/desktop/windows-show-logs.png) 2. Select the log file from the date when you encountered the authentication error. {% endwindows %} Review the troubleshooting information below for the error message that you encounter. #### Bad credentials ```shell Error: Bad credentials ``` This error means that there is an issue with your stored account credentials. To troubleshoot, sign out of your account on {% data variables.product.prodname_desktop %} and then sign back in. #### Empty token ```shell info: [ui] [AppStore.withAuthenticatingUser] account found for repository: node - (empty token) ``` This error means that {% data variables.product.prodname_desktop %} is unable to find the access token that it created in the system keychain. To troubleshoot, sign out of your account on {% data variables.product.prodname_desktop %} and then sign back in. #### Repository not found ```shell fatal: repository 'https://github.com//.git' not found (The error was parsed as 8: The repository does not seem to exist anymore. You may not have access, or it may have been deleted or renamed.) ``` This error means that you do not have permission to access the repository that you are trying to clone. To troubleshoot, contact the person in your organization who administers permissions. #### Could not read from remote repository ```shell git@github.com: Permission denied (publickey). fatal: Could not read from remote repository. Please make sure you have the correct access rights and the repository exists. ``` This error means that you do not have a valid SSH key set up. To troubleshoot, see "[Generating a new SSH key and adding it to the SSH agent](/github/authenticating-to-github/generating-a-new-ssh-key-and-adding-it-to-the-ssh-agent)." #### Failed to clone ```shell fatal: clone of 'git@github.com:/' into submodule path '' failed Failed to clone 'src/github.com//'. Retry scheduled Cloning into ''... git@github.com: Permission denied (publickey). fatal: Could not read from remote repository. Please make sure you have the correct access rights and the repository exists. ``` This error means that either the repository that you are trying to clone has submodules that you do not have access to or you do not have a valid SSH key set up. If you do not have access to the submodules, troubleshoot by contacting the person who administers permissions for the repository. If you do not have a valid SSH key set up, see "[Generating a new SSH key and adding it to the SSH agent](/github/authenticating-to-github/generating-a-new-ssh-key-and-adding-it-to-the-ssh-agent)." {% windows %} #### Unable to read AskPass response ```shell error: unable to read askpass response from '/Users//GitHub Desktop.app/Contents/Resources/app/static/ask-pass-trampoline.sh' fatal: could not read Username for 'https://github.com': terminal prompts disabled ``` This error can be caused by multiple events. If the `Command Processor` registry entries are modified, {% data variables.product.prodname_desktop %} will respond with an `Authentication failed` error. To check if these registry entries have been modified, follow these steps. 1. Open the Registry Editor (`regedit.exe`) and navigate to the following locations. `HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Command Processor\` `HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Command Processor\` 2. Check to see if there is an `Autorun` value in either location. 3. If there is an `Autorun` value, delete it. If your Windows username has extended Unicode characters, it may cause an AskPass response error. To troubleshoot, create a new Windows user account and migrate your files to that account. For more information, see "[Create a user account in Windows](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/13951/windows-create-user-account)" in the Microsoft documentation. {% endwindows %} ### Further reading - "[About authentication to GitHub](/github/authenticating-to-github/about-authentication-to-github)"