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Create a GitHub account

Get the login that lets people share private repos with you, and lets you publish your own. One-time setup; after this, getting into a shared repo is just clicking "accept".

Time: ~10 min, once. You'll need: an email you can open right now, and (ideally) a passkey or phone for faster login later. Last verified: 2026-06-07

This is one of the few steps an agent can't do for you — signup ends in a CAPTCHA puzzle no agent can solve. Everything after this, your agent handles.

Before you begin

You only need a browser and an email inbox you can check in another tab. The signup page is the same on Mac, Windows, and Linux — there's nothing to install, so this tutorial doesn't split by operating system.

Never made an online account with a CAPTCHA before? It's a quick "click the images that match" or sliding-puzzle test that proves you're human — more on what to expect below if it gives you trouble.

The one thing you can't delegate

There's no agent sentence for this one — the CAPTCHA blocks automation by design. Do it yourself in a browser; it's a one-time, ~10-minute cost. Your agent picks up everything afterward.

Steps

  1. Go to github.com/signup. Enter an email, a password, and a username. (Or click Continue with Google / Apple to skip the password.) [confirmed]
  2. Solve the CAPTCHA puzzle. A short image or sliding-puzzle challenge — solve it and you move straight to the next step. [confirmed]
  3. Verify your email. Open GitHub's email and click the link. Don't skip this — until your email is verified you can't do basic things like create a repository. [confirmed]
  4. Set up two-factor login now (it's not blocking yet — see below — but do it once and forget it):
  5. Passkey — log in with fingerprint or Face ID, no code to type. Smoothest on a Mac or in Chrome.
  6. Authenticator app — a fresh 6-digit code each sign-in.
  7. Saved in your browser — one tap on every later login.

Full options: GitHub 2FA setup.

Why now, not later: GitHub requires 2FA the moment you start contributing code — and then gives only a 45-day window (+7-day grace) before it locks you out. Setting it up at signup means that deadline never surprises you. [confirmed]

You're done when

You can log out and back in with your passkey or code. Now anyone can add you to a private repo, and you accept with one click.

If it doesn't work

  • "Unable to verify your CAPTCHA response" → almost always a VPN, Tor, or privacy/ad-block extension breaking the puzzle. Turn off extensions, leave the VPN, and retry — or sign up on your phone over cellular data, which gives a clean home IP. [confirmed] (GitHub uses a third-party CAPTCHA, Arkose Labs — known to be flaky on flagged connections; community reports, seen 2026-06-07)
  • The puzzle keeps resetting / never completes → same fix: a normal browser, no VPN, no ad-blocker, ideally incognito. If it still loops, switch network (e.g. phone hotspot) and try again. [unclear] (recurring community reports, seen 2026-06-07)
  • No verification email arrived → check spam, confirm you typed the address right, then use the Resend link on the verify screen. An unverified email blocks repo creation, so don't move on without it. [confirmed]
  • A teammate invited you but nothing showed up → an invite sent to an email only lands if that exact email is verified on your account; ask them to invite your username instead. [estimate] (invites by username sidestep email-matching — see Give someone access)
  • It's asking you to set up 2FA and won't let you in → you've hit the contributor deadline. Finish the 2FA setup once (passkey is fastest) and you're back in for good. [confirmed]

Watch / read

  • Best written walkthrough: Creating an account on GitHub — GitHub's own three-step guide. Authoritative and current; the one to trust if a screen looks different from this page.
  • Video: How to Create a GitHub Account (For Beginners!) — The Common Coder, 8:46. The only popular video dedicated solely to signup (not a full Git course). Caveat: couldn't verify the transcript (YouTube rate-limited this machine), and it predates the 2026 signup tweaks — treat as an okay visual start, follow the steps above for anything that's changed.

(Note: short, current signup videos are scarce — most "GitHub for beginners" videos are 10–80-min Git courses that bury the 1-minute signup. The written guide above is the more reliable source.)

Sources