The answers to your important Frequently Asked Questions.
To clone a remote repository over HTTPS, first navigate to your hosting service and copy the HTTPS link. The URL should be formatted like this: Then go to GitKraken and clone the project through File Clone. Paste the URL, hit Clone the repo, and then open the repo in GitKraken.
From here enter the remote SSH or HTTPS URL and click Clone the repo! How do I sign out of GitKraken? You may sign into a different account by selecting your profile icon in the top right corner and selecting Sign into a different account. Go to C:/Users/USERNAME/appdata/local/gitkraken and rename Update.exe to Update.exe (Don't remove it. Needed for uninstalling) Use it. Note: I had issues with some repos even with this solution and that could be because gitkraken saves config file in the repo (which is not shared with remote).
Just a sec! Before you dive in, perhaps one of these resources might help?
- GitKraken Cheat Sheet
- GitKraken for GitHub Users Cheat Sheet
Features & interface
Does GitKraken support TFS, Visual Studio Team Service or Azure DevOps?
Yes, for Azure DevOps (previously VSTS), you can use our integration with Azure DevOps!
For TFS instances you will need to clone your repo File Clone Repo and then enter the HTTPS repository URL (which can be found at the top-right of your Code page).
If you're connecting to a remote TFS Git server from a Mac or Linux, you will need to enable Basic Authentication in IIS for TFS.
If authenticating to TFS via username and password is not working, try creating a Personal Access Token (PAT) to use in place of a password.
For more information authenticating with repos, check out our SSH and HTTPS page.
What Linux distributions are supported by GitKraken?
GitKraken currently supports Ubuntu 16.04 LTS+, RHEL 7+, CentOS 7+, and Fedora 30+. While GitKraken might be able to be installed on other distros, we cannot guarantee that it will behave properly.
How can I see what commands GitKraken makes to the CLI?
Unlike other Git GUI clients, GitKraken is not a front-end GUI for your command line. It works directly with your repositories with no dependencies, which means a separate Git installation isn’t required.
How can I use multiple GitHub / GitLab / Bitbucket / Azure DevOps accounts with GitKraken?
By default, GitKraken connects to one integration at a time. However, with GitKraken Pro‘s multiple profile support, you can easily switch between profiles that each have their own associated GitHub and BitBucket accounts.
If you have PRO, set up profiles to configure a GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, or Azure DevOps account for each profile.
How do I change the avatar associated with my commits?
Your commit avatar in GitKraken is linked to the Gravatar, which is linked to your .gitconfig email address. If you change your Gravatar, your avatar in GitKraken will update itself.
Can I use my GitKraken paid license on more than one computer?
Yes, your GitKraken paid subscription is associated with your email address, not a specific computer. So you can use GitKraken on as many computers as you'd like. 🖥️
Why can't I see remotes under my integration drop-down menu?
The remote drop-down menu is for adding remotes from an integration (such as GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, etc.) and will only display forks of the repository. To add a remote that is not a fork, use the URL option instead.
How do I push a local project from GitKraken to GitHub, Bitbucket, GitLab, or Azure DevOps?
You need to change your branch's upstream and force push.
- Initialize a blank project on GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, or Azure DevOps.
- Open your local project in GitKraken.
- Add your newly initialized project as a remote using the URL option.
- Update your branch's upstream so it points to your new remote.
- Push the branch. You will be prompted to , which is the correct action to take for this use case.
You are done! Your local project is now on your hosting service.
Can I access repos for GitHub Enterprise, GitLab Self-Managed, Bitbucket Server or Azure DevOps with my Individual subscription?
Yes you can! From a new tab navigate toClone a repo Clone Clone with URL. From here enter the remote SSH or HTTPS URL and click .
How do I sign out of GitKraken?
You may sign into a different account by selecting your profile icon in the top right corner and selecting Sign into a different account.
While there is no way to sign out of GitKraken, you may delete all of your GitKraken data by deleting the ~./gitkraken folder. You can find the Data Location for your operating system here.
Technical issues
I receive a 'Could not find a compatible repository' for one of my repos. How can I fix that?
That error usually indicates something is stopping GitKraken from opening the repo. If you have this project open in another tool, such as an IDE, try closing that application and then relaunching GitKraken.
If you have CLI installed, try running git status. If you have pending changes, try stashing or committing those changes or switching branches, and see if that allows you to load the repo in GitKraken.
On Windows machines, it is possible that a file path became too long.
There could also be an issue with the directory path itself. Try cloning this repository to a different local directory.
I just downloaded GitKraken and it is not working.
If you are on Linux and are unable to launch GitKraken after installation, try to launch the application from the terminal to verify that there are no missing dependencies. Also, be sure to check out our page on How to Install GitKraken.
I just subscribed but I do not see PRO in the lower right corner.
Be sure you are logged in with the same email address registered with your GitKraken Pro subscription. Click your profile icon in the upper right corner to check which email you're using or to sign into your account.
I'm having an SSH issue.
The most common issues are:
Misconfigured SSH settings — If you are using SSH (your remote URL takes the form of
ssh://{host}/{repo}or{user}@{host}:{repo}), go to Preferences Authentication to confirm that your SSH settings are correct.Use of SSH config — GitKraken does not currently respect your SSH config and cannot make use of any remote server nicknames or identities. You can either load your SSH key directly into GitKraken or use your system’s SSH agent to authenticate with your remote.
SSH-agent on Windows — GitKraken currently only supports Pagent for the SSH agent. You can download PuTTY and Pagent from their page here.
I can't view any of my GitHub remotes from GitKraken.
GitKraken needs to be authorized in your GitHub account in order to browse remote repositories, view and create pull requests, and perform other actions. You can double-check that GitKraken is authorized from your GitHub authorized applications page.
If GitKraken is authorized on your GitHub account, you should be able to browse and connect to any of your personal repositories. However to connect to any repositories owned by an organization, GitKraken usually also needs to be authorized by the organization. After authorizing GitKraken on your own account, you can make access requests to your organizations from here. Requests must be approved by organization owners, as explained in GitHub's documentation.
If you are attempting to use GitKraken with a repository owned by a different individual, consider forking their repository to use GitKraken for your changes. Otherwise this other individual will need to first install GitKraken and connect it to GitHub to authorize GitKraken.
I'm having an issue using GitKraken behind a firewall.
GitKraken should activate and run automatically behind standard firewall setups. Due to the highly variable nature of firewall configurations, we cannot troubleshoot individually, nor can we guarantee that your setup will be compatible with GitKraken.
I can't get GitKraken to run behind a proxy. Is there anything I can do to make it work?
GitKraken supports both authenticated and non-authenticated proxies, but some PACs and URL-based settings still may not work. If this applies to you, there are some workarounds (please note that there is no guarantee that these fixes will work for all users):
If you're having issues using GitKraken through a proxy, use the
http.proxyGit config setting. Add your proxy to this file and give it a whirl.If that doesn't work, configuring
remote.<name>.proxymight help. Bear in mind that local (repo-specific) settings override the settings your global Git config.
Learn more on our SSH, HTTPS, & Proxies page.
GitKraken keeps spinning when opening a repo. Can I use it with repos on DropBox or OneDrive?
GitKraken does not support opening repos hosted on DropBox or OneDrive. We recommend moving your repo to a location on your machine, and then opening the repo from there.
My commit graph is not showing up correctly.
Sometimes a repository can get in an unexpected state that causes it to not work correctly in GitKraken. This may be your commit graph not showing up at all or seeing the message 'Displaying 2000 commits'.
Try running git gc from the terminal on this repository and then relaunching GitKraken. You can also try taking a fresh clone of the repository in a new location.
My files are not showing up as expected or are marked as binary.
GitKraken Git GUI only supports UTF-8 file encoding. Files may display in an unexpected way or be marked a binary if files are not encoded in UTF-8.
You can use and external diff and merge tools to work on files using other encoding types.
Can't find your question here? Contact us and ask away.
GitKraken can connect to repositories hosted on most services (like TFS, AWS CodeCommit, Google Cloud Source Repositories, custom service, etc), over HTTPS or SSH.
HTTPS
The most common and default way to interact with a remote repository, HTTPS configuration will always require your Git username and password credentials.
To clone a remote repository over HTTPS, first navigate to your hosting service and copy the HTTPS link. The URL should be formatted like this:
Then go to GitKraken and clone the project through File Clone.
Paste the URL, hit , and then open the repo in GitKraken.
By default when cloning a repo using HTTPS, your remote tracking at origin will be set using this format.
SSH
Before you can clone a repo over SSH, you must first set up your SSH keys in GitKraken.
Navigate to Preferences SSH.
Here you may choose an SSH key pair by browsing your file system, or let GitKraken generate a key for you (recommended). Make sure that you copy your public SSH key and paste it into your remote hosting service!
Once your keys are set up, you are ready to clone.
Clone over SSH
To clone a remote repository over SSH, first navigate to your hosting service and copy the SSH link.
Then go to GitKraken and clone the project through File Clone.
Paste the URL, hit , and then open the repo in GitKraken.
Supported SSH formats
The standard protocol can be entered as a remote in one of following formats:
or
Gitkraken Clone Repository
where
{host}can be example.com{user}is the username (git by default){repo}is myrepository.git
Note:{repo} usually has an owner like a user or organization where the repository is located on which ssh://{user}@{host}/{owner}/{repo} would be used.
For example, the original HTTPS URL in SSH is formulated as
By default when cloning a repo using SSH, your remote tracking at origin will be set using this format.
Custom SSH ports
To use a custom SSH port, you need to use the ssh:// format for your SSH URL.
Local SSH Agent
'Never send a human to do a machine's job.'
A local SSH agent handles key communication with your remote host, without needing a passphrase.
With SSH, it's not uncommon when working with many projects, and separate profiles that you need different credentials.
While you can specify a single SSH key pair as a default, and even have dedicated defaults per profile, it may be preferable to check Use local SSH agent and have the keys managed externally.
This way, provided your keys are loaded, every action requiring a chat with your known hosts can manage providing l33tp@$$..&3 for success without your keyboard involved.
100% of the time, it works every time.
I'm having an SSH issue.
Well if it's not working 100% of the time, the most common issues are:
- SSH-agent on Windows — GitKraken currently only supports Pageant for the SSH agent for Windows.
- You can download PuTTY and Pageant from their page here.
- Misconfigured SSH settings — remote URL format
- Check in Preferences Authentication to confirm that your SSH settings are correct.
- Edit remotes in the left ref panel to ensure push and pull urls are set and in the correct format
- Expected use of SSH config — GitKraken does not currently respect your SSH config and cannot make use of any remote server nicknames or identities.
- You can either load your SSH key directly into GitKraken or use your system’s SSH agent to authenticate with your remote.
Forget all
You may tell GitKraken to forget all usernames and passwords from Preferences Authentication:
Use this if you need the app to prompt for username or password for remote actions like push or pull.
Proxy configuration
GitKraken supports proxies for Windows, OSX, and Linux. GitKraken should recognize your proxy settings by default, however please review the additional instructions below if you are using an authenticated proxy such as basic, NTLM, Negotiate, or Digest.
Windows
For Windows users, your Windows machine will prompt for your proxy credentials on GitKraken’s behalf. Enter the credentials to complete the proxy configuration with GitKraken.
OSX
If you’re using an authenticated proxy on OSX, GitKraken will directly ask for the proxy credentials. Enter the credentials to complete the proxy configuration with GitKraken.
Linux
Gitkraken Clone Private Repo
If you are using an authenticated proxy on Linux, Gitkraken will directly ask for the proxy credentials. Additionally, you will need to run GitKraken with the command line flag:
Gitkraken Clone Repo Gitlab
where 10.200.0.1 and 8080 are the proxy IP and proxy port respectively. Without this flag, OAuth integrations are subject to fail.
Google Cloud Source Repositories
Due to the non-standard way Google Source Cloud Repositories use HTTPS and SSH URLs, GitKraken will have trouble parsing the URLs. The SSH URL is normally formatted in this manner:
Instead, try replacing the first @ symbol with %40: