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This guide helps you resolve common issues you may encounter while using GitHub Desktop.
Before troubleshooting, make sure you’re running the latest version of GitHub Desktop. Many issues are resolved in newer releases.

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General Troubleshooting Steps

Log files can help diagnose issues with GitHub Desktop. They are located in:macOS:
  • ~/Library/Application Support/GitHub Desktop/logs/
  • Organized by date: YYYY-MM-DD.desktop.production.log
Windows:
  • %APPDATA%\GitHub Desktop\logs\
  • Organized by date: YYYY-MM-DD.desktop.production.log
Installation and update problems are tracked in separate log files:macOS:
  • ~/Library/Caches/com.github.GitHubClient.ShipIt/ShipIt_stderr.log
  • Check the end of the file for recent activity
Windows:
  • %LOCALAPPDATA%\GitHubDesktop\SquirrelSetup.log (for updates)
  • %LOCALAPPDATA%\SquirrelSetup.log (for initial installation)
macOS:
  1. Quit GitHub Desktop
  2. Delete the application from /Applications
  3. Remove data directory: ~/Library/Application Support/GitHub Desktop/
  4. Remove cache: ~/Library/Caches/com.github.GitHubClient.ShipIt/
  5. Download and reinstall from desktop.github.com
Windows:
  1. Uninstall via Control Panel or Settings
  2. Delete %LOCALAPPDATA%\GitHubDesktop\
  3. Delete %APPDATA%\GitHub Desktop\
  4. Download and reinstall from desktop.github.com

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macOS Issues

Problem: This error appears even though your credentials are correct.Cause: The macOS Keychain is in an invalid state. This has been reported from macOS High Sierra 10.13 to macOS Mojave 10.14.5 and later.Solution:
  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 in GitHub Desktop
Related issue: #3263
Problem: Update checks fail with a permission denied error.Cause: Missing permissions for the ShipIt cache directory used during updates.Solution:
  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 the Sharing & Permissions section
  5. If you don’t see “You can read and write”, add yourself with “Read & Write” permissions
  6. Restart GitHub Desktop and check for updates
Related issue: #4115
Problem: macOS asks for admin password every time GitHub Desktop starts or updates.Cause: The application folder ownership is set to root instead of your user account. This often happens after using macOS Migration Assistant.Solution:Run these commands 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

Problem: GitHub Desktop window is not visible after disconnecting a secondary monitor.Cause: Desktop remembers the window position on the disconnected monitor.Solution:
  1. Close GitHub Desktop
  2. Delete %APPDATA%\GitHub Desktop\window-state.json
  3. Restart GitHub Desktop
Related issue: #2107
Problem: Git operations fail with error:
fatal: unable to access 'https://github.com/...': 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 checks.
This workaround should only be used as a last resort on restricted corporate networks. It disables an important security feature.
Solution:Run this command in Git Bash or Command Prompt:
git config --global http.schannelCheckRevoke false
Related issue: #3326
Problem: Application launches but shows only a black screen.Cause: Some graphics cards have issues with hardware acceleration.Solution:Disable hardware acceleration by setting an environment variable:
  1. Open PowerShell
  2. Run: $env:GITHUB_DESKTOP_DISABLE_HARDWARE_ACCELERATION=1
  3. Launch GitHub Desktop
To make this permanent, add the environment variable to your system settings.Related issue: #3921
Problem: Error message like:
fatal: unable to access 'https://github.com/.../...git/': 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: A global Git for Windows configuration at C:\ProgramData\Git\config contains an http.sslCAInfo entry that conflicts with GitHub Desktop’s Git installation.Solution:
  1. Verify the problem by running: 
    git config -l --show-origin
    Look for: file:"C:\ProgramData/Git/config" http.sslcainfo=[some value]
  2. Open C:\ProgramData\Git\config with administrator privileges
  3. Remove these lines: 
    [http]
sslCAInfo = [some value here]
Related issue: #4832
Problem: “Authentication failed” error when trying to sign in.Cause: Modified Command Processor registry entries.Solution:
  1. Open Registry Editor (regedit.exe)
  2. Navigate to:
    • HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Command Processor\
    • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Command Processor\
  3. Look for an Autorun value in either location
  4. Delete the Autorun value if present
  5. Restart GitHub Desktop
Related issue: #2623
Problem: “Not enough resources are available to process this command” error.Cause: Too many credentials stored in Windows Credentials Manager.Solution:
  1. Open Control Panel
  2. Go to Credential Manager
  3. Click on Windows Credentials
  4. Review and delete unnecessary credentials
  5. Try signing in again
Related issue: #15217
Problem: 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 (1709+) Mandatory ASLR setting affects the MSYS2 core library used by Git for Windows.
This is an upstream limitation of MSYS2 and cannot be fixed in GitHub Desktop.
Solution:Either:
  • Disable Mandatory ASLR in Windows Defender Exploit Protection settings, or
  • Add explicit exceptions for all executables under <Git>\usr\bin
Related issue: #3096

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Both Platforms

Problem: Cloning or using repositories stored on network shares via Folder Redirection fails.Cause: Git cannot resolve the working directory correctly on redirected network locations.
Using GitHub Desktop with Folder Redirection is not supported.
Recommendation: Clone repositories to a local disk instead of a network location.Related issue: #2972

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Getting More Help

If your issue isn’t listed here, check the Known Issues page or search the GitHub Desktop issue tracker.

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Still need help?

  1. Search open issues and closed issues
  2. If you can’t find a match, open a new issue
  3. Provide:
    • GitHub Desktop version
    • Operating system and version
    • Steps to reproduce the issue
    • Relevant log files
    • Screenshots if applicable

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