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Getting Started

Getting Started

This page walks through your first Codespace end to end.

Before you begin

If access is not already approved, complete Prerequisites and Access first.

Option A: use Codespaces in the browser

  1. Go to the repository you want to work on in GitHub.
  2. Select Code.
  3. Open the Codespaces tab.
  4. Choose Create codespace on main, or pick another branch.

GitHub's guide Creating a codespace for a repository covers this in more depth.

Opening a terminal in the browser

  • Keyboard: Ctrl+ (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+ (macOS)
  • Menu: View, then Terminal

Option B: use Codespaces in VS Code

  1. Install VS Code if needed: Download VS Code
  2. Install the extension: GitHub Codespaces extension
  3. Open the Command Palette in VS Code.
  4. Run Codespaces: Connect to Codespace.
  5. Sign in and select your Codespace.

For more, see Developing in a codespace.

Opening a terminal in VS Code

  • Keyboard: Ctrl+ (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+ (macOS)
  • Menu: Terminal, then New Terminal

First-day checklist

  • Confirm you can clone or open the target repository
  • Run dependency install commands for your project
  • Run tests or linters once
  • Commit and push a small change
  • Stop the Codespace when finished
Last reviewed: 18 June 2026Review status: ✓ Up to dateSource: View source on GitHub

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