Account Setup

Go to github.com

Open your browser and go to github.com. You'll see a dark homepage with a headline that says "Build and ship software on a single, collaborative platform."

In the top right corner, you'll see two buttons: Sign in and Sign up. Click Sign up (the green or dark button on the right).

The GitHub sign-up page. Click the green button on the right to begin.

Enter your email

GitHub shows a simple sign-up form. Enter your Gmail address in the email field and click Continue.

Create a password

Enter a strong password — at least 15 characters, or 8+ characters with a mix of letters, numbers, and symbols. Click Continue.

GitHub will tell you immediately if the password is strong enough. You'll see a colored bar below the field — green means it's acceptable.

Choose a username

This is the most important decision in this setup. Your username becomes part of every URL associated with your work:

Guidance for choosing a username:

• Use your real name if available: subhashkotha, rahulsharma, priyajoshi
• If your name is taken, add a number: subhashkotha1 or subhash-kotha
• Avoid random strings like xXcoder99Xx — this is a professional identity
• Lowercase, hyphens allowed, no spaces

Click Continue after entering your username.

Email preferences

GitHub asks if you want product updates via email. This is optional — tick or untick based on your preference. Click Continue.

Solve the verification puzzle

GitHub shows a simple puzzle to confirm you're human — usually something like selecting images or clicking a button in a specific way. Complete it and click Submit.

Check your email

GitHub sends a verification email to your Gmail address. Open your Gmail, find the email from GitHub, and click the verification link. The email arrives within one minute. Check your spam folder if you don't see it.

Choose Free plan

After verifying your email, GitHub takes you to a plan selection screen. You'll see two options:

• Free — unlimited public and private repositories, everything you need for this program
• Team — paid plan for organizations

Select Free. The program does not require a paid GitHub account.

Personalization survey (optional)

GitHub shows a short survey asking about your role and interests. You can answer honestly or click Skip personalization at the bottom of the page. This has no effect on your account.

You're in

GitHub takes you to your dashboard — a dark page with a left sidebar, a feed in the center, and your profile area. Your account is created.

Your GitHub dashboard. The left sidebar shows your repositories, the centre shows your activity feed, and the top right has your profile menu.

Open your profile settings

Click your profile photo in the top right corner of any GitHub page. It will be a grey circle with your initials until you upload a photo. From the dropdown menu, click Your profile.

This takes you to your public profile page — this is what clients and collaborators see.

Go to Edit profile

On your profile page, click the Edit profile button (on the left side, below the profile photo area).

Add a profile photo

Click on the grey circle where your photo will appear. GitHub opens a file picker. Select a professional photo — a clear headshot, similar to what you'd use on LinkedIn.

This matters. Profiles without photos look like abandoned accounts.

Fill in your bio

The bio field is directly below your photo. Write one sentence about yourself — your background and what you're building.

Example: "CA professional learning to build web and mobile applications. Currently building on React and Supabase."

Keep it professional. This is not a social media bio.

Add your location

Type your city: Hyderabad, India or Mumbai, India. This helps when people search GitHub for developers in a region.

Click Save

Click the green Save button at the bottom of the edit panel. Your profile is now complete.

Open Settings

Click your profile photo (top right corner) → Settings. This takes you to your account settings page — a sidebar on the left with many categories.

Go to Password and authentication

In the left sidebar, click Password and authentication. Scroll down until you see the Two-factor authentication section.

Click Enable two-factor authentication

Click the green Enable two-factor authentication button. GitHub asks you to confirm your password first — enter it and continue.

Choose your 2FA method — Authenticator App (recommended)

GitHub offers several options. Choose Authenticator app — this is the most reliable method.

If you don't have an authenticator app installed:

• Download Google Authenticator from the Google Play Store (Android) or App Store (iPhone)
• Open it, tap the + button, and scan the QR code GitHub shows you

GitHub displays a QR code on screen. Open Google Authenticator on your phone, tap the + sign, and tap Scan a QR code. Point your phone at the QR code on your computer screen.

Google Authenticator adds a GitHub entry that shows a 6-digit code that changes every 30 seconds.

Enter the 6-digit code

Back on GitHub, there's a field asking for a verification code. Open Google Authenticator, read the 6-digit code for GitHub, and type it into GitHub's field. Click Continue.

You have about 30 seconds before the code changes. If it changes before you type it, just use the new code.

Download your recovery codes

GitHub generates 16 one-time recovery codes. These are your backup if you lose your phone. Click Download to save them as a text file.

Confirm 2FA is active

Click Done. GitHub takes you back to the Password and authentication settings page. You should see a green confirmation that two-factor authentication is enabled.