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git init
git init turns any directory into a Git repository.

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What Does git init Do?

git init is one way to start a new project with Git. To start a repository, use either git init or git clone – not both.
To initialize a repository, Git creates a hidden directory called .git. That directory stores all of the objects and refs that Git uses and creates as a part of your project’s history. This hidden .git directory is what separates a regular directory from a Git repository.

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How to Use git init

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Common usages and options for git init

git init
  • git init: Transform the current directory into a Git repository
  • git init <directory>: Transform a directory in the current path into a Git repository
  • git init --bare: Create a new bare repository (a repository to be used as a remote repository only, that won’t contain active development)
You can see all of the options with git init in git-scm’s documentation.

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Examples of git init

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git init vs git clone

Starting a new project can be confusing. Sometimes, it’s unclear if you should use git init, git clone, or both.

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git init: One Person Starting a New Repository Locally

Your project may already exist locally, but it doesn’t have Git yet. git init is probably the right choice for you. This is only run once, even if other collaborators share the project.
1

Initialize the repository

git init
2

Create a remote repository

Create a remote repository somewhere like GitHub.com.
3

Add the remote URL

Add the remote URL to your local git repository:
git remote add origin <URL>
This stores the remote URL under a more human-friendly name, origin.
4

Stage and commit files

Shape your history into at least one commit:
git add .
git commit -m "Initial commit"
5

Push to remote

Once you have at least one commit, push to the remote and set up the tracking relationship:
git push -u origin main

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git clone: The Remote Already Exists

If the repository already exists on a remote, you would choose to git clone and not git init.
If you create a remote repository first with the intent of moving your project to it later:
  • If there are no commits in the remote repository, follow the steps above for git init
  • If there are commits and files in the remote repository but you want it to contain your project files, git clone that repository, then move the project’s files into that cloned repository. Use git add, git commit, and git push to create a history that makes sense for the beginning of your project.

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git init Existing Folder

The default behavior of git init is to transform the current directory into a Git repository. 
# Navigate to your project directory
cd my-project

# Initialize Git repository
git init
For an existing project to become a Git repository, navigate into the targeted root directory, then run git init. Or, you can create a new repository in a directory in your current path using git init <directory>.

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git init Gone Wrong

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git init in the wrong directory

Running git init in the wrong place will create unintended repositories. You may have noticed strange error messages when using Git. Maybe you suspect that another parent directory is also a Git repository.
1

Check if current directory is tracked

Use git status to see if the current directory is tracked by Git:
git status
2

Look for the .git directory

If it is tracked, run ls -al and look for an otherwise hidden .git directory:
ls -al
3

Navigate up if needed

If you don’t see it, navigate one level up:
cd ..
git status
ls -al
Repeat this until you find the .git directory.
4

Remove the .git directory

Once you find the .git directory and are sure you don’t want that to be a Git repository:
rm -rf .git
This will remove the .git directory, effectively un-initializing that repository. Make sure you’re in the correct directory before running this command!
5

Verify Git is no longer tracking

Run git status again to confirm that Git is no longer tracking these files:
git status
It could be possible that multiple layers of .git directories are present.
Return to your working repository, the one that you expect to be under version control. Things should be working as expected.
  • git clone [url]: Clone (download) a repository that already exists on GitHub, including all of the files, branches, and commits
  • git status: Always a good idea, this command shows you what branch you’re on, what files are in the working or staging directory, and any other important information
  • git remote -v: Show the associated remote repositories and their stored name, like origin
  • git remote add origin <url>: Add a remote so you can collaborate with others on a newly initialized repository
  • git push: Uploads all local branch commits to the remote
  • git push -u origin main: When pushing a branch for the first time, this type of push will configure the relationship between the remote and your local repository

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Next Steps

Git Add

Stage files for your first commit

Git Commit

Create your first commit

Git Remote

Learn about working with remotes

Git Push

Push your changes to a remote repository

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