How to upload a project to GitHub without the command line

To upload a project to GitHub without the command line, install Git, open your project folder in a Git GUI and do three things: turn the folder into a Git repository, commit your files, then publish. Publishing creates an empty repository on your GitHub account, adds it as a remote and pushes your commits to it. In GitTree that last part is one dialog, Publish Repository…, so you never type git push, yet the result matches the commands, because the app runs your installed Git.

The steps work for any project: a React or Flutter app, a website, a Python script, even a thesis. The screenshots show GitTree, a free Git client for macOS, Windows and Linux; its maker wrote this guide. You will also find notes for existing repositories, GitLab and Bitbucket, plus fixes for common errors.

What you need before you upload code to GitHub

• A GitHub account. Sign up on github.com if you don’t have one yet.
• Git 2.39 or newer. GitTree uses the Git already on your computer instead of bundling its own: the Xcode Command Line Tools or Homebrew on macOS, Git for Windows on Windows, your package manager on Linux.
• Ubuntu 22.04 or Linux Mint 21? Their Git 2.34 is too old, so add ppa:git-core/ppa first, as our guide to upgrading Git on Ubuntu shows.
• GitTree and a free GitTree account. Get the installer from the GitTree download page and sign in once. It is free today, private repositories included.
• Your project folder, new or old. It stays where it is.

Prepare your project: what not to upload to GitHub

Everything you commit becomes part of the history, and on a public repository anyone can read it. Decide what stays out before the first commit, with a .gitignore file in the project’s top folder. GitHub maintains recommended .gitignore files for common languages, and GitTree offers its own templates (Node, Python, Java, Go, Rust, .NET and more) when it creates the repository. Leave out:

• Dependencies and build output: node_modules/, build/, dist/, .dart_tool/, __pycache__/ and similar folders can be rebuilt from your source.
• Secrets: .env files, API keys, passwords and signing keys, from the very first commit.
• Very large files: Git warns about files over 50 MiB, and GitHub blocks files over 100 MiB. Use Git LFS, which GitTree supports, or keep them out.
• System clutter such as .DS_Store and Thumbs.db files.

Create a local Git repository from your project folder

A Git repository is an ordinary folder with a hidden .git folder inside, where Git keeps the history; your own files don’t change. In GitTree, open a new tab and choose Init. The Initialize a repository dialog asks for:

• Location: your project folder. GitTree creates the repository around the files already there.
• Initial branch: prefilled with main, the name GitHub’s own instructions use.
• .gitignore template and Licence: optional files written into the folder, uncommitted. A file that already exists is kept, never replaced.
• Open after creating: leave it ticked so the repository opens in a tab.

Opened the folder with Open instead? GitTree says it is not a Git repository yet and offers Initialize Repository…. New to these terms? Our Git for beginners guide explains repositories, commits and remotes in plain words.

Make your first commit

Your files now show as unstaged changes. Staging picks what goes into the next commit; for a first upload you want everything that isn’t ignored, so choose Stage All Changes. If node_modules or a .env file shows up in the list, choose Ignore from that file’s menu and GitTree adds it to .gitignore.

Type a summary such as Initial commit and choose the commit button. That saves the first snapshot locally; nothing has left your computer yet. GitTree can also draft the message with the Claude Code, Codex or Antigravity CLI you already use: see AI commit messages in GitTree.

Publish the repository to GitHub from the GUI

Connect your GitHub account

Open Preferences, go to Integrations and choose Connect GitHub…, then sign in with your browser or use a personal access token. Tokens are stored in your macOS Keychain, Windows Credential Manager or the Secret Service on Linux; the GitTree privacy policy explains what the app sends where. This is separate from your GitTree sign-in, so connect GitHub even if you signed in to GitTree with it.

Create the repository and push

Press Ctrl+Shift+P (⌘+Shift+P on a Mac) and run Publish Repository…; it is also in the menu of the sidebar’s Remote section. The dialog asks for:

• Account and Owner: you, or an organization you can create repositories in.
• Name and an optional Description: the name starts as your folder’s name and becomes part of the repository’s web address.
• Private: ticked by default, so only people you give access to can see the repository. Untick it to publish a public repository. You can change visibility later in the repository’s settings on GitHub.
• Remote name: prefilled with origin, the usual name for a first remote.
• Use SSH for the remote URL: leave it off to push over HTTPS, or tick it if you have an SSH key on GitHub. GitTree can generate a key, test it and upload it to GitHub.

Choose Publish. GitTree confirms the repository was published, and the sidebar’s Remote section lists origin with your branch: your project is on GitHub. Over HTTPS, a credential helper you already use answers first; if it has nothing, GitTree answers with the connected account.

Already created the repository on GitHub? Add it as a remote

That works too, as long as the repository is empty. GitHub’s own instructions say not to add a README, licence or .gitignore when you import an existing project, to avoid errors: those files become a commit on GitHub that your project doesn’t have, and Git rejects your first push. Then:

1. On GitHub, copy the repository’s HTTPS or SSH URL.
2. In GitTree, open the menu of the sidebar’s Remote section and choose Add Remote…. Name it origin, paste the URL and choose Add Remote.
3. Choose Push in the toolbar. The first push also sets the upstream for later pushes and pulls.

Ticked the README box anyway? Clone the new repository with GitTree, copy your project files (without any .git folder) into the clone, then commit and push.

Upload a project to GitLab or Bitbucket instead

The same moves work on any Git host. Publish Repository… lists every connected account that can create repositories, so connect your GitLab, Bitbucket or Azure DevOps account under Integrations and publish the same way. GitLab and Azure DevOps support is new in GitTree, so the manual route below is a handy fallback.

GitLab

On GitLab a repository belongs to a project. Create a blank project without a README, copy its clone URL and add it in GitTree with Add Remote…. There is a shortcut: if you may create projects in a namespace, pushing to a new path that was never used before creates a private project. Add a remote such as https://gitlab.com/your-name/my-project.git and choose Push.

Bitbucket

On Bitbucket Cloud, choose Create, then Repository, pick the workspace and project and answer No to Include a README?. Copy the URL shown next to the git clone command, add it with Add Remote… and push. Bitbucket needs credentials over HTTPS or a key over SSH: connect your Bitbucket account in GitTree, or generate an SSH key in GitTree and upload it.

Why not just upload files on the GitHub website?

Dragging files into the browser is fine for a few small files. For a project you keep working on, pushing with Git wins:

The same steps as Git commands

Because GitTree runs your installed Git, each step matches a command. Here is the command-line version from GitHub’s instructions for adding an existing project, with your own URL in place of the example:

git init -b main
git add .
git commit -m "Initial commit"
git remote add origin https://github.com/your-name/my-project.git
git push -u origin main

The -u option sets the upstream, as the first Push in GitTree does. For a day-to-day comparison, read Git GUI vs command line; if Git and GitHub still feel like one thing, Git vs GitHub untangles them.

Fixing common problems when you push to GitHub

• “GitTree needs Git” or “This Git is too old”: install Git 2.39 or newer (Git for Windows on Windows), then choose Check again.
• “Nowhere to push”: the repository has no remote yet. Run Publish Repository… or Add Remote….
• GitHub rejects your password: GitHub no longer accepts account passwords for Git. Connect your GitHub account in GitTree, enter a personal access token instead of the password, or use SSH.
• Push rejected because GitHub has commits you don’t: the repository was created with a README or licence. Use the clone-and-copy fix above.
• A file is too large: GitHub refuses the whole push. Undo can’t take back a repository’s very first commit, so amend it instead: move the file out of the project folder, stage the deletion, tick Amend Previous Commit and commit. Put the file back, choose Ignore from its menu (or track it with Git LFS) and push again. For a later commit, our guide to undoing a commit, reset or rebase explains Undo.

After the first upload: pushing new changes

From now on: edit, stage, commit with a clear summary and choose Push. Tick Push After Commit in the commit options to do both in one click. GitTree also fetches in the background, so commits others push show on the graph before you pull.

Ready to try it? GitTree is free today for macOS, Windows and Linux, private repositories included. It needs a free GitTree account and Git 2.39 or newer.

Stuck on a step? The GitTree support page lists every way to reach us, by e-mail or on GitHub.