How To - Clone A GitHub Repo In VSCode

Prerequisits

Install Git

winget install git.git --accept-source-agreements

Reboot the machine; otherwise, the commands below will NOT work.

Setup Git

git config --global user.name "FirstName LastName"
git config --global user.email "email@domain.com"

I like to create a folder called:

C:\git

This folder will house VScode Workspace as well as all clones from Github and Microsoft DevOps

Install VS Code

winget install Microsoft.VisualStudioCode --accept-source-agreements

Create a Workspace In VS Code

Click:

File - Save Workspace As

Save the file to:

C:\git\workspace.code-workspace

Why Is This Post Important

When you first open VS Code, there is a large button that prompts you to clone a GitHub repository. Once you clone a GitHub Repository, that button disappears, and it becomes harder to find how to add a second repository.

I will show you how to add a repository, regardless of whether you have zero repositories cloned or a hundred.

Get Git Repository URL

The first step is to locate the Repository you want to clone. Let’s go and use my public GitHub repo for HomeServarr.

• https://github.com/jheinrichs79/homeServarr

On the page, click on the big “Green” code button and copy the URL.

Go into VS Code and hit the Key Combo:

CTRL+ALT+P

This will open the command palette. In the command palette type:

git clone

and select GIT: Clone

You will be asked to enter the URL that you copied from a previous step.

Then click on “Clone from URL” and the URL you entered. You will then be asked where you want to clone the repo to. Select C:\git again.

Click “Add to Workspace.”

And you are done. Now you can go back and repeat the same process for each GitHub Repository that you would like to clone. Using this method provides a consistent way to add multiple repositories in Visual Studio.