# GitHub Desktop (open-source developer tool)

> GitHub Desktop is a free, open-source developer tool for Windows, macOS and Linux. Focus on what matters instead of fighting with Git. It has 21,922 GitHub stars and is released under the MIT license, and people use it instead of GitKraken and Sourcetree.

GitHub Desktop is an open-source Electron-based GitHub app. It is written in TypeScript and uses React. Download the official installer for your operating system:

## Key facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Repository | https://github.com/desktop/desktop |
| Platforms | Linux, macOS, Windows |
| Interface | desktop GUI |
| GitHub stars | 21,922 |
| License | MIT (open source) |
| Replaces | GitKraken, Sourcetree |
| Language | TypeScript |
| Website | none listed |
| Official | yes (published by the project behind the app) |
| Category | Code editors & developer tools |
| Latest release | release-3.6.6 (Sep 21, 2026) |
| Last commit | Oct 7, 2026 |

## Install

### Homebrew (macOS)

```sh
brew install --cask github
```

Package page: https://formulae.brew.sh/cask/github

### Chocolatey (Windows)

```sh
choco install github-desktop
```

Package page: https://community.chocolatey.org/packages/github-desktop

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Canonical page: https://appsgit.com/desktop-apps/github-desktop
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