Open, Clone, or Initialize a Git Repository in GitKraken Desktop

Last updated: June 2025

Each user will need to open, clone, or initialize a repository in GitKraken Desktop. This guide explains how.

Setup

Complete these setup steps before managing repositories:

1. Install GitKraken Desktop
2. Create an account and configure your profile

Repository Management

The Repository Management tab provides an overview of active repositories, Workspaces, and favorites. Open this tab by clicking the folder icon in the top-left or using:

• Alt + O (Windows/Linux)
• Cmd + O (Mac)

From here, you can:

• Browse: Open a local Git repository.
• Clone: Copy a remote Git repository to your machine.
• Init: Initialize a new Git repository or reinitialize an existing one.

This tab also includes Workspaces and repository actions:

• Open in VS Code
• View repository details (README.md panel)
• Open/Close repo tab

Open an Existing Project

To open an existing repo:

1. From Repository Management, select Browse
2. Use the file explorer to locate your repo

You can also access this via the New Tab by clicking the + icon.

Clone a Project

To clone a remote repo:

1. In Repository Management, select Clone

2. You can also access clone options via File > Clone or the New Tab.

Initialize a New Project

To start a new repo:

1. Select Init in Repository Management.

2. Fill in:

   • Repository path
   • .gitignore template (optional)
   • License (optional)

3. Click Create Repository

Also accessible via File > Init or New Tab.

Initialization result:

• .git directory created
• Repo opens in GitKraken Desktop
• Includes README.md, and optionally .gitignore and LICENSE

Customize Repository Management

• Drag and drop group headers to reorder
• Change colors via Change color in the repo group menu
• Set default colors in Preferences > UI Customization