Windows development setup for Git workshop

If you are setting up a Windows machine for development, winget is a quick way to install the tools you need without downloading each installer manually. This guide installs Git, GitHub CLI, and Visual Studio Code from Command Prompt.

Before you start

Use Windows 10 version 1809 or later, or Windows 11, and open Command Prompt. You do not normally need to run it as Administrator, but Windows may ask for permission when an installer needs elevation.

If you are not sure where to find it, open the Windows search menu, type cmd, and select Command Prompt. All commands in this guide work there. You can also use PowerShell if you prefer.

Windows search showing Command Prompt after searching for cmd

Check that winget is available:

winget --version

If it prints a version number, you are ready to continue.

Install Git

Git tracks changes in your projects and is required by many development tools. Install it with:

winget install --id Git.Git

Close and reopen Command Prompt after the installation, then verify it:

git --version

Install GitHub CLI

GitHub CLI, or gh, lets you work with repositories, issues, pull requests, and GitHub Actions from the terminal:

winget install --id GitHub.cli

Verify the installation:

gh --version

Install Visual Studio Code

Visual Studio Code is a lightweight editor with an integrated terminal and extensions:

winget install --id Microsoft.VisualStudioCode

Check that the command-line launcher is available:

code --version

Open the current project from Command Prompt with:

code .

Setup complete

Run these commands one at a time:

git --version
gh --version
code --version

If all three commands print version information, you are done. Git, GitHub CLI, and VS Code are installed and ready to use. If any command is not recognized or returns an error, check the troubleshooting steps below.

If something went wrong

`winget` is not recognized

winget is provided by App Installer from the Microsoft Store. Open the Microsoft Store, search for App Installer, update or install it, and then reopen Command Prompt. You can check whether Windows can find it with:

where winget

No package found matching input criteria

The package source may be unavailable or the package ID may have been entered incorrectly. Search the source and use the exact ID:

winget search Git.Git --source winget

If the search still fails, refresh the source:

winget source reset --force
winget source update

Then retry the install command.

`git`, `gh`, or `code` is not recognized after installation

The installer usually updates PATH, but already-open terminals do not automatically reload it. Close every Command Prompt or PowerShell window, open a new one, and run the version command again.

If code is still unavailable, reinstall VS Code and make sure the installer option to add code to PATH is enabled. You can also launch VS Code from its Start menu shortcut while troubleshooting.

Installer requires administrator approval

Accept the Windows permission prompt, or open Command Prompt as Administrator and run the command again. On a managed work or school computer, an administrator may have disabled app installation; contact the device administrator in that case.

Installation fails because another installer is running

Wait for Windows Update or another setup program to finish, then retry. If the package is partially installed, check its status first:

winget list --id Git.Git

You do not need to sign in just to install the tools. When you are ready to use GitHub CLI with your account, run:

gh auth login

Choose GitHub.com, your preferred protocol, and the browser-based login option. The CLI will open a browser and give you a one-time code to confirm.