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Updating credentials from the macOS Keychain

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You'll need to update your saved credentials in the git-credential-osxkeychain helper if you change your username, password, or personal access token on GitHub.

Note: Updating credentials from the macOS Keychain only applies to users who manually configured a PAT using the osxkeychain helper that is built-in to macOS.

We recommend you either configure SSH or upgrade to the Git Credential Manager (GCM) instead. GCM can manage authentication on your behalf (no more manual PATs) including 2FA (two-factor auth).

When Git prompts you for your password, enter your personal access token (PAT) instead. Password-based authentication for Git has been removed, and using a PAT is more secure. For more information, see "Creating a personal access token."

Updating your credentials via Keychain Access

  1. Click on the Spotlight icon (magnifying glass) on the right side of the menu bar. Type Keychain access then press the Enter key to launch the app. Spotlight Search bar
  2. In Keychain Access, search for github.com.
  3. Find the "internet password" entry for github.com.
  4. Edit or delete the entry accordingly.

Deleting your credentials via the command line

Through the command line, you can use the credential helper directly to erase the keychain entry.

$ git credential-osxkeychain erase
host=github.com
protocol=https
> [Press Return]

If it's successful, nothing will print out. To test that it works, try and clone a private repository from GitHub.com. If you are prompted for a password, the keychain entry was deleted.

Further reading