How do you download files from GitHub?

The easiest way to download anything from GitHub is to download the entire repository. If you navigate to any repository’s main page, you’ll see a green Clone or download button in the upper right side of the page. Click it, then choose Download ZIP to save a full ZIP file of everything in that repository’s current master branch to your computer.

That might be overkill though if you only want one file. You can download individual files from a GitHub repository, though it’s not quite as direct. Browse to the file you want to download, then click the Raw button. That will typically open the plain text version of the file in your browser, without any of GitHub’s branding or interface. Now, press CMD/Ctrl+S to save the file from your browser, or use your browser’s share menu to save the file on mobile.

If the file type isn’t a text or code file, one that GitHub lets you edit online, then you may see a Download button on the file instead. If so, you’re in luck—click it to save the file to your computer. Typically PDFs and app installers show with download buttons in GitHub.