To upload a local project to GitHub with Git and SSH, first make sure the folder is a Git repository with at least one commit, create an empty GitHub repository, configure and test SSH access, add the repository as a remote, then push your branch. The steps below cover a new project folder as well as the case where Git already tracks it.
1. Inspect the project before staging files
Open a terminal—or Git Bash on Windows—and move to the project’s root folder. Check what is there before you add files. GitHub warns: “Never git add, commit, or push sensitive information, for example passwords or API keys, to a remote repository.”
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If the folder is already tracked by Git, do not initialize another repository. If it is not, initialize it and create an initial commit:
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cd /path/to/your-project
# Run this only if the folder is not already a Git repository:
git init -b main
git add .
git status
# Review the staged files and remove or unstage anything unintended.
git commit -m "First commit"git init -b main is documented for Git 2.28.0 and later. If your Git version does not support that option, use the initialization method appropriate to your installed version. The status check helps you review the staged files, but it does not replace checking for secrets.
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2. Create an empty GitHub repository
On GitHub, create a new repository under the account or organization where the project should live. For this direct first-push workflow, leave the options to add a README, license, or gitignore file unchecked. That keeps the remote empty, avoiding a separate initial commit that may need to be reconciled with your local history.
Copy the SSH URL shown on the repository’s setup page. It has this form:
[email protected]:OWNER/REPOSITORY.gitReplace OWNER and REPOSITORY with the account or organization and repository names in the URL you copied.
3. Set up SSH authentication
Check for an existing key
Before generating a key, see whether you already have a suitable SSH key. GitHub’s documented check for the standard key directory is:
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ls -al ~/.sshA public key commonly has a filename such as id_ed25519.pub. The matching private key has the same name without .pub; keep that private key on your computer and never paste it into GitHub.
Generate and load a key if needed
If you do not have a suitable key, GitHub’s standard Ed25519 example is:
ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "[email protected]"Use the email associated with your GitHub account as the key’s label and choose a secure passphrase. Follow the prompts to save the key. On macOS or Linux, GitHub documents this agent setup pattern:
eval "$(ssh-agent -s)"
ssh-add ~/.ssh/id_ed25519Windows has separate SSH-agent instructions; follow the GitHub steps for your shell and setup rather than assuming the macOS/Linux commands apply unchanged.
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Add the public key to your GitHub account
Copy the contents of the public-key file, the one ending in .pub. In GitHub, open Settings → SSH and GPG keys, choose to add a new SSH key, select Authentication as its purpose, and paste the public key. Do not paste or upload the private key.
4. Test the SSH connection
In a terminal, run:
ssh -T [email protected]On the first connection, SSH may ask whether to trust GitHub’s host. Verify the displayed fingerprint against GitHub’s official fingerprint page before accepting. A successful test greets your GitHub username and says that GitHub does not provide shell access; that message is expected.
5. Add the remote and push your branch
From the project root, add the SSH URL you copied as the remote named origin, the conventional name for a primary remote. Then check that both displayed addresses point to the intended repository:
git remote add origin [email protected]:OWNER/REPOSITORY.git
git remote -vIf Git says origin already exists, inspect it with git remote -v. If it points to the wrong repository and you intend to change it, update the URL instead of adding another remote with that name:
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git remote set-url origin [email protected]:OWNER/REPOSITORY.gitPush the current branch and set its upstream tracking relationship:
git push -u origin mainUse your actual branch name in place of main. To see it, run git branch --show-current. When the push completes, open the repository page and confirm the expected files and commit appear.
When the first push does not follow the simple path
The folder is already a Git repository
Skip initialization and inspect its branch and remotes before pushing. Reusing an existing repository avoids creating a nested or unintended Git history.
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Use the name reported by git branch --show-current in the push command. The command’s branch argument must match the local branch you want to publish.
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SSH reports “Permission denied (publickey)”
Check that the public key was added to the GitHub account that owns or can access the repository, and that the corresponding private key is available to your SSH agent. If you use multiple accounts or keys, make sure SSH is presenting the intended key.
The destination is an organization repository
An organization that enforces SAML single sign-on may require you to authorize your SSH key for that organization in addition to adding it to your GitHub account.
The GitHub repository already has a commit
The direct first-push steps assume an empty remote. If you initialized the GitHub repository with a README, license, or gitignore—or it already contains other commits—its history may differ from your local history. Reconcile the histories deliberately rather than assuming the simple push will work unchanged.
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You committed a secret
Do not push credentials. Removing a sensitive file in a later commit does not remove it from earlier commits in the repository’s history. If a credential has been exposed, revoke or rotate it, then follow GitHub’s sensitive-data removal guidance to address the history.
Quick Recap
Official GitHub instructions
- Adding locally hosted code to GitHub
- About remote repositories
- About SSH
- Generating a new SSH key and adding it to the ssh-agent
- Adding a new SSH key to your GitHub account
- Testing your SSH connection
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