Skip to main content

Switch github accounts

Switching Between Two different GitHub Accounts (personal & professional works) on macOS / linux system with shell scripts

Step 1: Generate SSH Keys for Both Accounts​

If you haven't already generated SSH keys for both GitHub accounts, run:

ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096 -C "your_email_1@example.com" -f ~/.ssh/id_rsa_github_personal
ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096 -C "your_email_2@example.com" -f ~/.ssh/id_rsa_github_work

This will create two SSH key pairs:

  • ~/.ssh/id_rsa_github_personal (for personal account)
  • ~/.ssh/id_rsa_github_work (for work account)

Step 2: Add SSH Keys to SSH Agent​

Enable the SSH agent and add the keys:

eval "$(ssh-agent -s)"
ssh-add ~/.ssh/id_rsa_github_personal
ssh-add ~/.ssh/id_rsa_github_work

Step 3: Configure SSH for GitHub​

Edit the SSH config file: use either nano or vi

nano ~/.ssh/config

Add the following configuration:

# Personal GitHub Account
Host github-personal
  HostName github.com
  User git
  IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_rsa_github_personal

# Work GitHub Account
Host github-work
  HostName github.com
  User git
  IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_rsa_github_work

Save and exit.

Step 4: Update Git Configurations​

Create two global Git configurations:

git config --global user.name "Personal Name"
git config --global user.email "your_email_1@example.com"
git config --global user.name "Work Name"
git config --global user.email "your_email_2@example.com"

Alternatively, configure per repository:

git config user.name "Personal Name"
git config user.email "your_email_1@example.com"

Step 5: Create a Shell Script to Switch Accounts​

Create a script switch_git.sh: use either nano or vi

nano ~/switch_git.sh

Paste the following:

#!/bin/bash

echo "Select GitHub account to use:"
echo "1) Personal"
echo "2) Work"
read -p "Enter choice (1/2): " choice
ssh-add -D
if [ "$choice" == "1" ]; then
    git config --global user.name "Personal Name"
    git config --global user.email "your_email_1@example.com"
    git config --global core.sshCommand "ssh -i ~/.ssh/id_rsa_github_personal"
    echo "Switched to Personal GitHub account"
elif [ "$choice" == "2" ]; then
    git config --global user.name "Work Name"
    git config --global user.email "your_email_2@example.com"
    git config --global core.sshCommand "ssh -i ~/.ssh/id_rsa_github_work"
    echo "Switched to Work GitHub account"
else
    echo "Invalid choice. Exiting."
    exit 1
fi

Save and exit.

Step 6: Make the Script Executable​

Run:

chmod +x ~/switch_git.sh

Now, you can run the script anytime with:

sh ~/switch_git.sh