docs/content/codespaces/customizing-your-codespace/personalizing-github-codespaces-for-your-account.md

title, shortTitle, intro, redirect_from, versions, type, topics

title	shortTitle	intro	redirect_from	versions	type	topics
Personalizing GitHub Codespaces for your account	Personalize your codespaces	You can personalize {% data variables.product.prodname_github_codespaces %} by using a `dotfiles` repository on {% data variables.product.product_name %} or by using Settings Sync.	/github/developing-online-with-github-codespaces/personalizing-github-codespaces-for-your-account /github/developing-online-with-codespaces/personalizing-codespaces-for-your-account /codespaces/setting-up-your-codespace/personalizing-codespaces-for-your-account /codespaces/customizing-your-codespace/personalizing-codespaces-for-your-account	fpt ghec * *	how_to	Codespaces Set up Fundamentals

About personalizing {% data variables.product.prodname_codespaces %}

When using any development environment, customizing the settings and tools to your preferences and workflows is an important step. {% data variables.product.prodname_github_codespaces %} allows for two main ways of personalizing your codespaces.

• Settings Sync - You can synchronize your {% data variables.product.prodname_vscode %} settings between the desktop application and the {% data variables.product.prodname_vscode_shortname %} web client.
• Dotfiles – You can use a dotfiles repository to specify scripts, shell preferences, and other configurations.

{% data variables.product.prodname_github_codespaces %} personalization applies to any codespace you create.

Project maintainers can also define a default configuration that applies to every codespace for a repository, created by anyone. For more information, see "AUTOTITLE."

Settings Sync

Settings Sync allows you to synchronize configurations such as settings, keyboard shortcuts, snippets, extensions, and UI state across machines and instances of {% data variables.product.prodname_vscode_shortname %}. For more information, see Settings Sync in the {% data variables.product.prodname_vscode_shortname %} documentation.

{% data reusables.codespaces.about-settings-sync %}

• If you open a codespace in the browser, Settings Sync is always disabled at first. This means the transfer of settings takes place in one direction and at one time only: {% data variables.product.prodname_github_codespaces %} pulls the settings stored in the cloud into the codespace at the point of creation, but any updates you make to the settings in the codespace are not propagated to the cloud, so are not reflected in any other codespaces. Equally, any updates you make to your settings elsewhere are not reflected in your codespace.
• If you open a codespace in the {% data variables.product.prodname_vscode_shortname %} desktop application, Settings Sync remains enabled in the codespace if you have previously enabled it for the application. Any updates you make to your settings are pushed to cloud, so are reflected in new codespaces and any existing codespaces in which Settings Sync is enabled. If you make updates to your settings in other {% data variables.product.prodname_vscode_shortname %} instances where Settings Sync is enabled, these updates are reflected in your codespace.

If you're working in a codespace where Settings Sync is disabled, you can enable Settings Sync to push changes you have made to your settings to the cloud, or pull in the latest changes to your settings you have made elsewhere.

Enabling Settings Sync

{% note %}

Note: You should only enable Settings Sync in codespaces created from repositories you trust. For more information, see "AUTOTITLE."

{% endnote %}

1. In {% data variables.product.prodname_vscode_shortname %}, at the bottom of the Activity Bar, select {% octicon "gear" aria-label="The gear icon" %} and click Turn on Settings Sync…

2. In the dropdown, select the settings you want to sync.

   

3. Click Sign in & Turn on, then select the account to which you want your settings to be synced.

When you have signed in, the {% data variables.product.prodname_vscode_shortname %} instance you're working in will immediately be updated to display the latest synced settings.

Disabling Settings Sync

{% data reusables.codespaces.disabling-settings-sync %}

Dotfiles

Dotfiles are files and folders on Unix-like systems starting with . that control the configuration of applications and shells on your system. You can store and manage your dotfiles in a repository on {% data variables.product.prodname_dotcom %}. For advice and tutorials about what to include in your dotfiles repository, see GitHub does dotfiles.

Your dotfiles repository might include your shell aliases and preferences, any tools you want to install, or any other codespace personalization you want to make.

You can configure {% data variables.product.prodname_github_codespaces %} to use dotfiles from any repository you own by selecting that repository in your personal {% data variables.product.prodname_github_codespaces %} settings.

When you create a new codespace, {% data variables.product.prodname_dotcom %} clones your selected dotfiles repository to the codespace environment, and looks for one of the following files to set up the environment.

• install.sh
• install
• bootstrap.sh
• bootstrap
• script/bootstrap
• setup.sh
• setup
• script/setup

If none of these files are found, then any files or folders in your selected dotfiles repository starting with . are symlinked to the codespace's ~ or $HOME directory.

Any changes to your selected dotfiles repository will apply only to each new codespace, and do not affect any existing codespace.

{% note %}

Note: Currently, {% data variables.product.prodname_codespaces %} does not support personalizing the User-scoped settings for {% data variables.product.prodname_vscode_shortname %} with your dotfiles repository. You can set default Workspace and Remote [Codespaces] settings for a specific project in the project's repository. For more information, see "AUTOTITLE."

{% endnote %}

Enabling your dotfiles repository for {% data variables.product.prodname_codespaces %}

You can use your selected dotfiles repository to personalize your {% data variables.product.prodname_github_codespaces %} environment. Once you choose your dotfiles repository, you can add your scripts, preferences, and configurations to it. You then need to enable your dotfiles from your personal {% data variables.product.prodname_github_codespaces %} settings page.

{% warning %}

Warning: Dotfiles have the ability to run arbitrary scripts, which may contain unexpected or malicious code. Before installing a dotfiles repo, we recommend checking scripts to ensure they don't perform any unexpected actions.

{% endwarning %}

{% data reusables.user-settings.access_settings %} {% data reusables.user-settings.codespaces-tab %}

1. Under "Dotfiles", select Automatically install dotfiles so that {% data variables.product.prodname_github_codespaces %} automatically installs your dotfiles into every new codespace you create.

   

2. Use the dropdown to choose the repository you want to install dotfiles from.

   

You can add further script, preferences, configuration files to your dotfiles repository or edit existing files whenever you want. Changes to settings will only be picked up by new codespaces.

If your codespace fails to pick up configuration settings from dotfiles, see "AUTOTITLE."

Other available settings

You can also personalize {% data variables.product.prodname_github_codespaces %} using additional options in your personal settings:

• To enable GPG verification, see "AUTOTITLE."
• To set your editor, see "AUTOTITLE."
• To set how long a codespace can remain unused before it is automatically stopped, see "AUTOTITLE."
• To set the period for which your unused codespaces are retained, see "AUTOTITLE."
• To set your default region, see "AUTOTITLE."

Further reading

• "AUTOTITLE"
• "AUTOTITLE"
• "AUTOTITLE"