How to Create a New Account on GitHub: Step-by-Step Guide

Quickly get started with GitHub by making an account

Written by Kyle Smith

Last Updated: March 5, 2023 Fact Checked

This wikiHow teaches you how to sign up for a free personal account on GitHub. Your free GitHub account gives you unlimited access to public and private software repositories and the ability to collaborate with up to 3 users. If you're looking for a more advanced option, you can upgrade to GitHub Pro, which gives you unrestricted access to all repositories, unlimited collaborators, statistics, wikis, and more.

Things You Should Know

Go to https://github.com/join to create a GitHub account.
You’ll need to verify your email during the signup process.
You can upgrade to the Pro, Team, or Enterprise plan if needed.

Steps

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1
Go to https://github.com/join in a web browser. You can use any web browser on your computer, phone, or tablet to join. Before you can create branches or make any pull requests, you’ll need an account.
- Some ad blockers, including uBlock Origin, prevent GitHub's verification CAPTCHA puzzle from appearing. For best results, disable your web browser's ad blocker when signing up for GitHub.
In addition to creating a username and entering an email address, you'll also have to create a password. Your password must be at least 15 characters in length or at least 8 characters with at least one number and lowercase letter.^{[1]
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3
Click Verify to start the verification puzzle. The instructions vary by puzzle, so just follow the on-screen instructions to confirm that you are a human. A green checkmark will appear after completing the puzzle.
- You can switch to an audio challenge by pressing the speaker button under the Verify button.
- If you see an error that says "Unable to verify your captcha response," it's because your web browser's ad blocking extension prevented the CAPTCHA puzzle from appearing. Disable all ad-blocking extensions, refresh the page, and then click VERIFY to start the CAPTCHA.
4
Click the green Create account button. It's below the form, at the bottom of the page. This will take you to an email verification page.
- Carefully review the Terms of Service at https://help.github.com/en/articles/github-terms-of-service and the Privacy Statement at https://help.github.com/en/articles/github-privacy-statement before you continue. Continuing past the next step confirms that you agree to both documents.
After clicking Create account, you’ll receive an email with a code. Enter this code on the verification page. Entering the code will automatically take you to the welcome page.
6
Select your preferences and click Continue. GitHub displays a quick survey that can help you tailor your experience to match what you're looking for. You’ll be sent to the plan selection page after completing the survey.
- You can skip this survey by clicking Skip personalization at the bottom of the page. Clicking this will take you directly to your GitHub dashboard page with a free account. You can sign up for GitHub Pro at any time.
7
Note the types of plans offered by GitHub. There are a few different plans to choose from, varying in the amount of features provided.^{[2]
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- Free: Unlimited public and private repositories, up to 3 collaborators, issues and bug tracking, and project management tools.
- Pro: Unlimited access to all repositories, unlimited collaborators, GitHub email support, and advanced insight tools.
- Team: All of the aforementioned features, plus team access controls and user management.
- Enterprise: All of the features of the Team plan, plus self-hosting or cloud hosting, priority support, single sign-on support, and more.
8
Select the free plan. On the plan selection page, scroll down to click the button for choosing a free plan. This will immediately take you to your GitHub dashboard. You’re ready to download some directories and repositories, or download a file.
- If you choose a paid plan, you'll have to enter your payment information as requested before you can continue.
- If you want to upgrade your Github account in the future, click the menu at the top-right corner, select Settings, and choose Billing and plans to view your options.^{[3]
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Community Q&A

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Question

What should I do after receiving my email?

Mohsen Ibrahim

Community Answer

GitHub will send you an activation email with a link to activate the account. Just click the URL in the email you received.

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Question

How do I open a new Github account?

Võ Trần Nhã Linh

Community Answer

Just create another email address and start a new one. Follow the structure of this post.

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Question

Is it free to create an account on GitHub? Can I get paid on the site?

Mohsen Ibrahim

Community Answer

Yes, you can create an account for free and use it to host only public repositories, however if you want private repositories, you need to to create a paid account.

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Tips

To visit your Github dashboard, click the cat icon at the top-left corner of the page.

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To customize your profile, click the menu at the top-right corner of the page and select Your profile.

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Next, check out how to cite a GitHub repository.

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