How to Upload Files and Folders to GitHub: A Beginner’s Guide

Uploading
files
and
folders
to
GitHub
is
a
fundamental
skill
for
developers,
allowing
for
efficient
version
control
and
collaboration.
This
guide,
based
on
a
blog
post
from

The
GitHub
Blog,
provides
a
comprehensive
overview
of
the
process
for
beginners.

How
do
I
upload
files?

There
are
multiple
ways
to
upload
content
to
GitHub.
The
first
method
is
through
GitHub.com:

1.
Create
a
repository
by
clicking
the
button
or
menu
option
for
creating
a
new
repository.
Provide
necessary
information
like
the
repository
name,
description,
and
visibility
settings,
then
initialize
it
with
a
README.md
file.
Click
“Create
repository.”

2.
In
your
repository,
click
the
plus
button
next
to
the
green
“Code”
button
and
select
“Upload
files.”
Choose
the
files
you
want
to
upload
using
the
file
browser.

3.
Add
a
commit
message
describing
the
changes
and
click
“Commit
changes.”

This
method
is
ideal
for
small
files.
For
larger
files,
folders,
or
entire
projects,
the
terminal
might
be
more
convenient.

How
do
I
upload
files
using
the
terminal?

Follow
these
steps
to
upload
files
using
the
terminal:

1.
Create
a
new
empty
repository
on
GitHub
by
clicking
the
plus
button
and
selecting
“New
repository.”
Enter
a
name
and
description,
then
click
the
“Create
repository”
button.

2.
Open
a
terminal
on
your
local
machine
and
navigate
to
your
project
folder.

3.
Initialize
the
folder
as
a
Git
repository
using

git
init.

4.
Create
a
README.md
file
with
a
brief
description
using

touch
README.md.

5.
Add
the
files
to
the
repository
with

git
add
..

6.
Commit
the
files
with
a
message
using

git
commit
-m "initial
commit".

7.
Set
the
main
branch
using

git
branch
-M
main.

8.
Connect
your
local
repository
to
the
GitHub
repository
using

git
remote
add
origin
<URL>
(replace
<URL>
with
your
repository
URL).

9.
Push
the
files
to
GitHub
using

git
push
-u
origin
main.

Refresh
your
GitHub
page
to
see
the
uploaded
files
in
your
repository.

What’s
next?

With
the
knowledge
of
uploading
files
and
folders
to
GitHub,
developers
can
start
using
repositories
for
collaboration
and
version
tracking.
For
further
learning,
GitHub
offers
a
variety
of
resources,
including
community
threads
and
tutorials.

Image
source:
Shutterstock