Managing remote repositories

Adding a remote repository

To add a new remote, use the git remote add command on the terminal, in the directory your repository is stored at.

The git remote add command takes two arguments:

• A remote name, for example, origin
• A remote URL, for example, https://[hostname]/user/repo.git

For example:

$ git remote add origin https://hostname/user/repo.git
# Set a new remote

$ git remote -v
# Verify new remote
> origin  https://hostname/user/repo.git (fetch)
> origin  https://hostname/user/repo.git (push)

For more information on which URL to use, see "About remote repositories."

Troubleshooting: Remote origin already exists

This error means you've tried to add a remote with a name that already exists in your local repository.

$ git remote add origin https://hostname/octocat/Spoon-Knife.git
> fatal: remote origin already exists.

To fix this, you can:

• Use a different name for the new remote.
• Rename the existing remote repository before you add the new remote. For more information, see "Renaming a remote repository" below.
• Delete the existing remote repository before you add the new remote. For more information, see "Removing a remote repository" below.

Changing a remote repository's URL

The git remote set-url command changes an existing remote repository URL.

The git remote set-url command takes two arguments:

• An existing remote name. For example, origin or upstream are two common choices.
• A new URL for the remote. For example:
  • If you're updating to use HTTPS, your URL might look like:

    https://[hostname]/USERNAME/REPOSITORY.git

  • If you're updating to use SSH, your URL might look like:

    git@hostname:USERNAME/REPOSITORY.git

Switching remote URLs from SSH to HTTPS

1. Open TerminalTerminalGit Bash.
2. Change the current working directory to your local project.
3. List your existing remotes in order to get the name of the remote you want to change.

   $ git remote -v
   > origin  git@