Installing Git on Windows

By default we execute Git commands in a terminal or in the command prompt when talking in Windows terms. Originally the Git command line was designed to be used in a Bash shell and as such it works best in that environment.

The Bash shell is not available on Windows by default, so to make things a little easier we will install a package that contains both the Bash shell and Git.

Open your favorite browser and click the download button on the following page:

http://git-for-windows.github.io/

After the download is complete you can execute the downloaded installer.

You will see the following dialog:

Please click the “Yes” button to continue. You will now see the familiar installer window:

Please click the “Next” button to continue and you will see the following screen:

It is usually best to install to the default location. Click the “Next” button to continue.

In this screen make sure the “Windows Explorer integration” option is checked. Once again click the “Next” button to continue.

You can name your start menu folder however you like, but it is recommended to leave this to the default value of “Git”. Click the “Next” button to continue.

Please make sure the option “Use Git from the Windows Command Prompt” is selected and click the “Next” button to continue the installation.

Select “Checkout Windows-style, commit Unix-style line endings” and click the “Next” button.

Select “Use MinTTY (the default terminal of MSYS2)” and click the “Next” button.

Please wait until the installer has finished extracting and copying all of the files.

Once the installer has finished please click the “Finish” button.

To see if the installation was successful, open a new explorer window and right click on the empty space:

You should see the option “Git Bash Here” in the menu. After clicking it a new window should open: