How to fix bash: git: command not found in Git

First, verify whether Git is installed on your system:

On Linux/macOS/Git Bash:

which git

On Windows (PowerShell/CMD):

where git

If these commands return no output or an error, Git is either not installed or not in your PATH.

Check common installation locations:

On Windows, Git is typically installed in:

C:\Program Files\Git\bin\git.exe
C:\Program Files (x86)\Git\bin\git.exe

On macOS:

/usr/bin/git
/usr/local/bin/git

On Linux:

/usr/bin/git
/usr/local/bin/git

If you find Git at one of these locations but the command doesn't work, proceed to add it to your PATH.

If Git is not installed, install it using the appropriate method for your operating system:

Windows:

Download and run the official installer from https://git-scm.com/download/win

During installation:
- Select "Git from the command line and also from 3rd-party software" to add Git to PATH
- Choose your preferred default editor
- Select "Use Git and optional Unix tools from the Command Prompt" for full PATH integration

Alternatively, using Chocolatey:

choco install git

Or using winget:

winget install Git.Git

macOS:

Install Xcode Command Line Tools (includes Git):

xcode-select --install

Or using Homebrew:

brew install git

Linux (Debian/Ubuntu):

sudo apt update
sudo apt install git

Linux (Fedora):

sudo dnf install git

Linux (Arch):

sudo pacman -S git

After installation, close and reopen your terminal, then verify:

git --version

If Git is installed but not in your PATH, add it manually:

Method 1: Using System Properties GUI

1. Press Win + R, type sysdm.cpl, press Enter
2. Click "Advanced" tab
3. Click "Environment Variables"
4. Under "System variables" (or "User variables"), find and select "Path"
5. Click "Edit"
6. Click "New" and add the Git paths:

C:\Program Files\Git\bin
   C:\Program Files\Git\cmd

7. Click "OK" to save all dialogs
8. Restart your terminal

Method 2: Using PowerShell (Run as Administrator)

# Add Git to system PATH permanently
$gitPath = "C:\Program Files\Git\bin"
$currentPath = [Environment]::GetEnvironmentVariable("Path", "Machine")
if ($currentPath -notlike "*$gitPath*") {
    [Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("Path", "$currentPath;$gitPath", "Machine")
}

Method 3: Using Command Prompt (temporary, for current session)

set PATH=%PATH%;C:\Program Files\Git\bin

After modifying PATH, restart your terminal and verify:

git --version

If Git is installed but not in your PATH on Linux or macOS:

Check your current PATH:

echo $PATH

Add Git to PATH temporarily (current session):

export PATH=$PATH:/usr/local/bin

Add Git to PATH permanently:

For Bash (edit ~/.bashrc or ~/.bash_profile):

echo 'export PATH=$PATH:/usr/local/bin' >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc

For Zsh (edit ~/.zshrc):

echo 'export PATH=$PATH:/usr/local/bin' >> ~/.zshrc
source ~/.zshrc

If Git is installed via Homebrew on macOS:

# Homebrew typically installs to /opt/homebrew/bin (Apple Silicon) or /usr/local/bin (Intel)
echo 'export PATH="/opt/homebrew/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.zshrc
source ~/.zshrc

Verify the fix:

git --version
which git

If you're using WSL and getting this error, Git needs to be installed within your Linux distribution:

Install Git in WSL:

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt update && sudo apt install git

# Fedora
sudo dnf install git

Verify installation:

git --version

Optional: Use Windows Git from WSL

If you want to use your Windows Git installation from WSL (not recommended but possible):

# Add Windows Git to WSL PATH
echo 'export PATH=$PATH:/mnt/c/Program\ Files/Git/bin' >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc

However, this approach has limitations:
- Line ending issues (Windows uses CRLF, Linux uses LF)
- Performance is slower accessing Windows filesystem
- Some Git features may not work correctly

Best practice: Install Git natively within WSL for best compatibility.

Configure Git after installation:

git config --global user.name "Your Name"
git config --global user.email "[email protected]"

If you're getting this error inside a Docker container, Git needs to be installed in the container image:

Add Git to your Dockerfile:

For Alpine-based images:

RUN apk add --no-cache git

For Debian/Ubuntu-based images:

RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y git && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*

For Fedora/RHEL-based images:

RUN dnf install -y git && dnf clean all

Example complete Dockerfile:

FROM node:18-alpine
RUN apk add --no-cache git
WORKDIR /app
COPY . .
RUN npm install
CMD ["npm", "start"]

For running containers (temporary fix):

# Enter the container
docker exec -it container_name sh

# Install Git (Alpine)
apk add --no-cache git

# Install Git (Debian/Ubuntu)
apt-get update && apt-get install -y git

Note: Changes made inside a running container are lost when the container stops unless committed to a new image.

After installing or fixing your PATH, verify everything works correctly:

Check Git version:

git --version

Expected output (version number may vary):

git version 2.43.0

Check Git location:

# Linux/macOS/Git Bash
which git

# Windows PowerShell
(Get-Command git).Source

Test a Git command:

git status

If you're not in a Git repository, you'll see "fatal: not a git repository" - that's expected and means Git is working.

Set up your identity (required for commits):

git config --global user.name "Your Name"
git config --global user.email "[email protected]"

Check your configuration:

git config --list

If everything works, Git is now properly installed and configured on your system.