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Create a Git repository from Visual Studio

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Applies to: yesVisual Studio noVisual Studio for Mac

Note

This article applies to Visual Studio 2017. If you're looking for the latest Visual Studio documentation, see Visual Studio documentation. We recommend upgrading to the latest version of Visual Studio. Download it here

Visual Studio makes it easy to create a repo right from the IDE. Repository creation from Visual Studio is optimized for GitHub, but you can work remotely with the Git provider of your choice. Here's how.

Prerequisites

To follow this article, you'll need:

Create a GitHub repo

  1. Open Visual Studio, and then select Create a new project.

    Tip

    If you don't already have a project in Visual Studio to add to a repo, you can quickly create a new C# console app and name it MyNewApp. Visual Studio populates your new app with default "Hello, World!" code.

  2. From the Git menu, select Create Git Repository.

    Screenshot of the Create Git Repository option from the Git menu in Visual Studio.

  3. In the Create a Git repository dialog, under the Push to a new remote section, choose GitHub.

    Screenshot of the Create Git Repository option from the Git menu in Visual Studio with the GitHub selection highlighted.

  4. In the Create a new GitHub repository section of the Create a Git repository dialog, enter the name of the repo you want to create.

    Tip

    If you haven't yet signed in to your GitHub account, you can do so from this screen, too.

  5. After you sign in and enter your repo info, select the Create and Push button to create your repo and add your app.

    Screenshot of a user's GitHub info entered by using the Create Git Repository window.

Open an existing local repository

After you’ve created a repo or cloned one, Visual Studio detects the Git repository and adds it to your list of Local Repositories in the Git menu. From there, you can quickly access and switch between your Git repositories.

Create an Azure DevOps repo

  1. Open Visual Studio, and then select Create a new project.

    Tip

    If you don't already have a project in Visual Studio to add to a repo, you can quickly create a new C# console app and name it MyNewApp. Visual Studio populates your new app with default "Hello, World!" code.

  2. From the Git menu, select Create Git Repository.

  3. In the Create a Git repository dialog, under the Push to a new remote section, choose Azure DevOps.

  4. In the Create a new Azure DevOps repository section, sign in to your Azure account, and then select a project from the Project drop-down list.

  5. Select the Create and Push button to create your repo and add your app.

    Screenshot of the Create and Push function of the Create a Git repository dialog, which you can use to publish code with a single action.

Next steps

To continue your journey, visit the Create a branch page.

See also