GitHub Simplified: A Comprehensive Guide to Cloning Private Repositories with GitHub application only — in just 40 seconds.

In the world of software development, GitHub has become an essential tool for version control and collaboration. It allows developers to work together, regardless of where they are in the world. However, cloning a private repository from GitHub on a Windows machine can sometimes be a challenge, especially if you’re not familiar with SSH keys or Personal Access Tokens (PAT). This article will guide you through the process of cloning a private repository using GitHub Desktop, without the need for SSH keys or a PAT. By the end of this article, you’ll be able to easily clone private repositories and contribute to your team’s projects. Let’s get started!

How to Clone a Private Repository from GitHub on Windows using GitHub Desktop without ssh keys or PAT

If you want to clone a private repository from GitHub on Windows using GitHub Desktop without a Personal Access Token (PAT), you can do so by using your GitHub credentials (username and password).

Prerequisites

Before we begin, make sure you have the following:

• A GitHub account with access to the private repository you want to clone. And repo owner must add your account to private repo.

• Of course, you must accept invitation send via email

• You must have GitHub Desktop installed on your Windows machine. If not, you can download it from the official GitHub Desktop website — https://desktop.github.com/. In this app you must login to GitHub and authotize

After first login, you have to configure Git and write an email and name associated with your accont.

Steps to Clone a Private Repository

On a initial screen, you will see all yours repositories

Just select the one you want to clone.

And that’s it! You have successfully cloned a private repository from GitHub on your Windows machine using GitHub Desktop without using a PAT or SSH keys.

Now you can change some data in a file, add files and do all the stuff you need.

After that, simple make commit and push. And thats it!

Conclusion

GitHub Desktop is a powerful tool that simplifies many of the operations you would do on the GitHub website. Cloning a private repository is straightforward once you know how to use your GitHub credentials. This method is especially useful if you’re working on a machine where you can’t or don’t want to use SSH keys or a PAT. Happy coding!