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This document outlines known issues with GitHub Desktop, including workarounds where available.
These issues are being tracked and may be addressed in future releases. Some have workarounds that users have reported as helpful.

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What should I do if…

Try the workaround provided for your specific issue. These workarounds have been reported by users and may help resolve the problem on your system.Each issue links to the GitHub issue tracker where you can find more details and discussions.
Each known issue includes a link to its GitHub issue. Please comment on that issue with:
  • Additional details about your situation
  • Whether the workaround worked for you
  • Any other information that might help
  1. Check the open bugs in the issue tracker
  2. Check closed bugs to see if it’s been fixed
  3. If you can’t find it, open a new issue

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macOS Issues

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Authentication and Keychain

Issue: Error appears even with correct credentials when signing into GitHub account.Affected Versions: macOS High Sierra 10.13 (17A365) through macOS Mojave 10.14.5 (18F132) and laterCause: The macOS Keychain is in an invalid state, affecting applications that use it for credential storage.Workaround:
  1. Open Keychain Access.app
  2. Right-click on the login keychain and lock it
  3. Right-click on the login keychain and unlock it
  4. Sign into your GitHub account again
Related Issue: #3263

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Updates and Installation

Issue: Update checks fail due to permission errors.Cause: Missing permissions for ~/Library/Caches/com.github.GitHubClient.ShipIt folder used during updates.Workaround:
  1. Close GitHub Desktop
  2. Open Finder and navigate to ~/Library/Caches/
  3. Right-click com.github.GitHubClient.ShipIt and select Get Info
  4. Expand Sharing & Permissions
  5. Add yourself with “Read & Write” permissions if needed
  6. Restart GitHub Desktop and check for updates
Related Issue: #4115
Issue: macOS repeatedly asks for admin password when launching or updating GitHub Desktop.Cause: The ownership of /Applications/GitHub Desktop.app is set to root. This commonly happens after using macOS Migration Assistant to transfer to a new computer.Background: GitHub Desktop auto-updates by modifying its application folder. If the current user doesn’t own the folder, admin privileges are required.Workaround:Restore ownership to the current user by running in Terminal:
sudo chown -R ${USER}:staff /Applications/GitHub\ Desktop.app
chmod -R g+w /Applications/GitHub\ Desktop.app
Related Issue: #13956

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Windows Issues

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Display and Graphics

Issue: GitHub Desktop window is not visible after disconnecting a second monitor.Cause: Desktop remembers window position from previous session, which may now be off-screen.Workaround:
  1. Close GitHub Desktop
  2. Delete %APPDATA%\GitHub Desktop\window-state.json
  3. Restart GitHub Desktop (window will appear on primary monitor)
Related Issue: #2107
Issue: Application window shows only a black screen.Cause: Hardware acceleration issues with certain graphics cards.Workaround:Disable hardware acceleration using environment variable:
  1. Open PowerShell
  2. Run: $env:GITHUB_DESKTOP_DISABLE_HARDWARE_ACCELERATION=1
  3. Launch GitHub Desktop
To make this permanent, add GITHUB_DESKTOP_DISABLE_HARDWARE_ACCELERATION with value 1 to your system environment variables.Related Issue: #3921

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Network and Certificates

Issue: Git operations fail with:
schannel: next InitializeSecurityContext failed: Unknown error (0x80092012) - 
The revocation function was unable to check revocation for the certificate.
Cause: Corporate networks may block Windows certificate revocation status checks.Background: GitHub Desktop uses Windows Secure Channel (SChannel) APIs by default to validate certificates. Some networks block these revocation checks, causing operations to fail.
This workaround disables an important security feature. Only use it on corporate networks where the check is blocked and you trust the network security.
Workaround:Run in Git Bash or Command Prompt:
git config --global http.schannelCheckRevoke false
Related Issue: #3326
Issue: Git operations fail with:
schannel: failed to open CA file 'C:/Users/.../AppData/Local/GitHubDesktop/
app-x.x.x/resources/app/git/mingw64/bin/curl-ca-bundle.crt': No such file or directory
Cause: Global Git for Windows configuration at C:\ProgramData\Git\config contains an http.sslCAInfo entry that conflicts with Desktop’s bundled Git.Background: Desktop uses Windows Certificate Store via SChannel and doesn’t need custom certificates. The global config value may point to a non-existent file.Workaround:
  1. Verify the problem: 
    git config -l --show-origin
    Look for: file:"C:\ProgramData/Git/config" http.sslcainfo=...
  2. Open C:\ProgramData\Git\config as administrator
  3. Remove these lines: 
    [http]
sslCAInfo = [value]
Related Issue: #4832

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Authentication and System Configuration

Issue: “Authentication failed” error when signing in.Cause: Modified Command Processor registry entries interfere with authentication.Workaround:
  1. Open Registry Editor (regedit.exe)
  2. Check these locations:
    • HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Command Processor\
    • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Command Processor\
  3. Look for an Autorun value
  4. Delete the Autorun value if present
  5. Restart GitHub Desktop
Related Issue: #2623
Issue: “Not enough resources are available to process this command” error during sign-in.Cause: Too many credentials stored in Windows Credentials Manager.Workaround:
  1. Open Credential Manager from Control Panel
  2. Click Windows Credentials
  3. Review the list and delete unnecessary credentials
  4. Try signing in again
Related Issue: #15217

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Git and System Compatibility

Issue: Errors like:
fatal error - cygheap base mismatch detected - 0x2E07408/0x2EC7408.
This problem is probably due to using incompatible versions of the cygwin DLL.
Cause: Windows 10 Fall Creators Edition (version 1709+) Enhanced Mitigation Experience Toolkit’s Mandatory ASLR setting affects MSYS2, which Git for Windows depends on for process forking.
This is an upstream MSYS2 limitation and cannot be fixed in GitHub Desktop.
Workaround:Either:
  • Disable Mandatory ASLR system-wide in Windows Defender Exploit Protection, or
  • Add explicit exceptions for all executables under <Git>\usr\bin that depend on MSYS2
Related Issue: #3096
Issue: Cloning or using repositories on Windows Folder Redirection network paths fails.Cause: Git cannot correctly resolve the working directory on network shares configured with Folder Redirection.Example Error:
fatal: unable to get current working directory: No such file or directory
warning: Clone succeeded, but checkout failed.
Using GitHub Desktop with Folder Redirection is not supported.
Recommendation: Clone repositories to local disk storage instead of redirected network locations.Related Issue: #2972

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Development Environment Issues

The following issues affect developers building GitHub Desktop from source, not end users.
Issue: npm install fails with:
npm ERR! [email protected] install: `node-gyp rebuild`
npm ERR! Exit status 1
Solution:Ensure npm version >= 2.15.9:
npm -g install npm@latest
Then run npm install again.Related Issues:

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Need More Help?

For troubleshooting steps and solutions, see the Troubleshooting page.
If you don’t find your issue listed:
  1. Search the GitHub Desktop issue tracker
  2. Check both open and closed issues
  3. If needed, open a new issue with details about your problem

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