Two GitHub accounts, one computer · step 2 of 7

Configuring .gitconfig

This step is identical on Windows, macOS, and Linux.

1. Check the exact path of your project folders

Before typing anything into the config, check the exact, real path to your user1 and user2 folders — a typo or wrong casing is the most common reason includeIf fails to fire later.

Windows (PowerShell) — go into the folder and print its full path:

cd D:\Projects\user1
(Get-Location).Path

You’ll get something like D:\Projects\user1. In the config you’ll write this with / instead of \ — i.e. D:/Projects/user1/. Repeat for user2.

macOS / Linux — similarly:

cd ~/Projects/user1
pwd

You’ll get something like /Users/yourname/Projects/user1. You’ll paste this path into the config as-is. Repeat for user2.

Save both paths somewhere — you’ll need them in the next step, in exactly the form you just saw.

2. Open (or create) the main ~/.gitconfig file

Windows (PowerShell) — check your username and open the file in Notepad:

echo $env:USERNAME
notepad C:\Users\YOURNAME\.gitconfig

If Notepad asks whether to create a new file, say yes — that’s normal the first time.

macOS / Linux — open the file with nano:

nano ~/.gitconfig

3. Add the includeIf sections

In the open file, add (without deleting anything already there) sections pointing at your folders — use the paths you checked in step 1:

[includeIf "gitdir:D:/Projects/user1/"]
    path = .gitconfig-user1
[includeIf "gitdir:D:/Projects/user2/"]
    path = .gitconfig-user2

On macOS/Linux, similarly, e.g.:

[includeIf "gitdir:~/Projects/user1/"]
    path = .gitconfig-user1
[includeIf "gitdir:~/Projects/user2/"]
    path = .gitconfig-user2

Save the file: in Notepad, Ctrl+S; in nano, Ctrl+O, Enter, Ctrl+X.

Alternative without opening an editor — append directly from the terminal:

# Windows (PowerShell)
Add-Content "C:\Users\YOURNAME\.gitconfig" "`n[includeIf `"gitdir:D:/Projects/user1/`"]`n    path = .gitconfig-user1`n[includeIf `"gitdir:D:/Projects/user2/`"]`n    path = .gitconfig-user2"

# macOS / Linux
cat >> ~/.gitconfig << 'EOF'
[includeIf "gitdir:~/Projects/user1/"]
    path = .gitconfig-user1
[includeIf "gitdir:~/Projects/user2/"]
    path = .gitconfig-user2
EOF

Details that most commonly break this mechanism:

• The path in gitdir: must end with a trailing slash /.
• The drive letter and casing must match exactly what you saw in step 1 — if the folder is Projects and your config says projects, includeIf may not fire on some systems.
• Relative paths in path = (e.g. .gitconfig-user1) are resolved relative to the folder containing this .gitconfig — usually your home directory.
• On Windows, always use / in paths, not \.

4. Create the per-account file

Windows:

notepad C:\Users\YOURNAME\.gitconfig-user1

macOS / Linux:

nano ~/.gitconfig-user1

Type in the identity (you’ll add the [core] section with the SSH key in the next step, once the key exists):

[user]
    name = User1
    email = user1@example.com

Save and close. Repeat the same for .gitconfig-user2, swapping in the user2 details:

[user]
    name = User2
    email = user2@example.com

5. Sanity check before moving on

Go into the user1 project folder and check where Git is pulling the identity from:

cd D:/Projects/user1/some-project
git config --show-origin --get user.email

The result should point to .gitconfig-user1 and show user1@example.com. If it shows something else, the most common cause is a local .git/config inside this specific repository, which always overrides values from includeIf. Check:

cat .git/config

If there’s a [user] section with the wrong email, remove it:

git config --local --unset user.email
git config --local --unset user.name

The same can happen with core.sshCommand if it was ever set locally in this repo.

Next up — generating SSH keys and adding core.sshCommand to the .gitconfig-userX files — pick your platform below.