How to have multiple profiles on git

multipleGitProfiles.md

Last update: 30-01-2024
Last view: 01-05-2025

Step 1

Go to your work folder, mine is located at: F:/Work/EnterpriseName/

And then create a .gitconfig-work with the following data:

[user]
	name = Name at work
	email = [email protected]

The folder should be like this:

📂 EnterpriseName
├─ 📂 project01
├─ 📂 project02
├─ 📂 project03
└─ 📄 .gitconfig-work

Step 2

Navigate to your current .gitconfig and open it.
Usually it's at C:\Users\your-user or ~/Users/your-user.

It should have something like:

[user]
	name = Icaruk
	email = [email protected]

That's the global config, that will be used as the default one. If it doesn't exist, create it with these commands:

> git config --global user.name "Icaruk"
> git config --global user.email "[email protected]"

Step 3

Add the following lines below:

[includeIf "gitdir:F:/Work/EnterpriseName/"]
	path = F:/Work/EnterpriseName/.gitconfig-work

• The first path is your work path, it must end with "/".
• The second path is your .gitconfig-work that you created on your work folder. But it can be anywhere, just point at it.

⚠️ The paths are case sensitive, double check if it doesn't work.
⚠️ The includeIf overrides the configuration above it, so It must be placed below the [user] data block. More info at mi6th comment.

The resulting file should be like this:

Windows:

[user]
	name = Icaruk
	email = [email protected]

[includeIf "gitdir:F:/Work/EnterpriseName/"]
	path = F:/Work/EnterpriseName/.gitconfig-work

MacOS and Linux:

[user]
	name = Icaruk
	email = [email protected]

[includeIf "gitdir:~/Work/EnterpriseName/"]
	path = ~/Work/EnterpriseName/.gitconfig-work

If it doesn't work, try removing the ~

Step 4

Go to your work folder and open any project, then run:

> git config user.email

It should display your work email.

Now go to any project that isn't located inside your work folder and run the same command. It should display your default email.

⚠️ You must be in a folder with git initialized in order to see the overriden config, otherwise the global config will be shown.

Note that the includeIf directive(s) MUST FOLLOW configuration values that should be overridden by the included file, e.g. this won't work:

# ~/.gitconfig file
# Let's say we keep configuration sections in alphabetical order: [includeIf] precedes [user]

[includeIf "gitdir:F:/Work/EnterpriseName/"]
	path = F:/Work/EnterpriseName/.gitconfig-work
[init]
    defaultBranch = main

# Let's assume this is our default user for all repositories
[user]
	name = defaultUser
	email = [email protected]

Now, if we run the command git -C F:/Work/EnterpriseName/MySomeCoolRepo config --get user.name the result is defaultUser and not Icaruk because the value defaultUser for user.name hasn't been overridden by the included file as desired.

To fix this we need to reorder declarations in the ~/.gitconfig file like this:

# Fixed ~/.gitconfig file
[init]
    defaultBranch = main

# Let's assume this is our default user for all repositories
[user]
	name = defaultUser
	email = [email protected]

# Let's assume this file contains the '[user]' as in this gist
# and we want to use it in any repository under F:/Work/EnterpriseName/
[includeIf "gitdir:F:/Work/EnterpriseName/"]
	path = F:/Work/EnterpriseName/.gitconfig-work

Now, if we run the command git -C F:/Work/EnterpriseName/MySomeCoolRepo config --get user.name the result is Icaruk and no more defaultUser because the value of the user.name directive has been overridden by the included file as desired.

Note that the includeIf directive(s) MUST FOLLOW configuration values that should be overridden by the included file, e.g. this won't work:

Thanks for your contribution, I'm adding your comment to the gist :)

The includeIf overrides the configuration above it, so It must be placed above the [user] data block.

I think you meant below the user data block.

I think you meant below the user data block.

@rsimonton Nice catch, thanks!

This is awesome.
Please mention that the drive letter is case-sensitive :(, it took me hours to figure it out.

This is awesome. Please mention that the drive letter is case-sensitive :(, it took me hours to figure it out.

I'll add a warning, thanks!

and symlinked folder wont work! i just verified it. thanks for the Gist!

Thank you so much! I am really grateful to you. Nothing worked for me except your guide

and symlinked folder wont work! i just verified it. thanks for the Gist!

Thanks!

Thank you so much! I am really grateful to you. Nothing worked for me except your guide

You are welcome!

Took me a few hours to figure out why it doesn't work. The overridden config will only be visible when you are in a git directory, otherwise it always shows the global values.

Took me a few hours to figure out why it doesn't work. The overridden config will only be visible when you are in a git directory, otherwise it always shows the global values.

I'll add a warning on that, thanks!

Thanks for this gist.

For Mac and Linux users - running from a shell - there are a couple of caveats:

1. The home directory must be written as ~ (not $HOME), both in the includeIf section and in the path value.
2. For sub directories to work you must have a trailing slash

# ~/.gitconfig
[user]
  name = User Name
  email = [email protected]

[includeIf "gitdir:~/git/github.com/"]
  path = ~/.gitconfig.github

git config gitdir

Thanks for this gist.

For Mac and Linux users - running from a shell - there are a couple of caveats:

1. The home directory must be written as ~ (not $HOME), both in the includeIf section and in the path value.
2. For sub directories to work you must have a trailing slash

# ~/.gitconfig
[user]
  name = User Name
  email = [email protected]

[includeIf "gitdir:~/git/github.com/"]
  path = ~/.gitconfig.github

git config gitdir

I included that info, thanks!

Question: is it possible to use a [includeIf] section with any other config than path? For example, I want to do

[includeIf "gitdir:~/work-stuff/"]
  [user]
    email = [email protected]
  [commit]
    gpgSign

However, this doesn't seem to be working. Is what I want to do impossible?

@vegerot I don't think so → https://git-scm.com/docs/git-config#_conditional_includes

Here is how to use it with remote repo services like gitlab.com, for instance https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/project/repository/signed_commits/gpg.html#set-signing-key-conditionally