How to Check and Update Your Git Version

Change is inevitable and, in the technical world, usually beneficial.

Keeping your Git installation up to date is highly recommended, it gives you all the latest features, improvements, bug fixes, and more. Let’s see how to check which Git version you’re currently using and how to update it to the latest version.

To stay up to date with latest Git version.

Check Your Current Git Version

Run the commands below to see current version (if applicable):

git --version

The Git version you’re currently using will be returned.

Check https://git-scm.com/downloads to see if you have the latest release.

How to Update Git on Windows

The command you use to update Git on Windows depends on which version of Git you’re currently using. If you’re using any version from 2.14.2 to 2.16.1, then run this command in Command Prompt:

Run:

git update

For Git version 2.16.1 and later, you’ll need to run this command:

git update-git-for-windows

Your Git version will then either update or you’ll get a message saying you’re up to date. You may see an installer dialogue box popup on your screen when you run this command. Don’t panic, even if it says “uninstalling”.

If you’re using a version older than 2.14.2, then you’ll need to get the latest installer from the download portal and update your Git version the same way as when you installed Git for the first time.

How to Update Git on Mac

You can update Git from Terminal on Mac using Homebrew, a popular package manager for Mac. It’s likely you already have Homebrew installed if you’re using Git on your Mac, if not you should get it. You can install Homebrew by running this command and then following the instructions in Terminal:

/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

To update Git via Homebrew, run this command from Terminal:

brew upgrade git

If you don’t have the latest version of Homebrew installed, then Homebrew will update first. Once done, Git will update.

Alternatively, you can go to Git’s download portal and get the latest installer.

How to Update Git on Linux

If you’re running Git on Linux, Git will automatically update whenever you apply a system update.

Git is an essential development tool and there are so many things you can do with it like installing software or cloning a GitHub repo to work on a project.

Keeping Git up to date will ensure you always have the latest features Git has to offer.