Software⏱️ 2 min read📅 2026-05-31

How to Fix: Git's famous "ERROR: Permission to .git denied to user"

Git permission error fix

Quick Answer: Try running `git config --global user.name "Your Name"` and `git config --global user.email "your_email@example.com"` to update your Git credentials, then try the push command again.

The infamous 'ERROR: Permission to .git denied to user' error can be a frustrating experience, especially when you're trying to push changes to a repository. This issue often arises due to incorrect file permissions or SSH configuration problems.

🛑 Root Causes of the Error

  • Incorrect file permissions on the local machine.
  • SSH configuration issues, such as a mismatch between the SSH key and the GitHub account.

🔧 Proven Troubleshooting Steps

Method 1: Check File Permissions

  1. Step 1: Open the terminal and navigate to your repository directory.
  2. Step 2: Run the command `ls -l` to check the file permissions of the .git folder. You should see a permission value of 755 or similar.
  3. Step 3: If the permission is not set correctly, run the command `chmod 755 .git` to change it.

Method 2: Update SSH Configuration

  1. Step 1: Run the command `ssh -T git@github.com` to test your SSH connection.
  2. Step 2: If you see a message indicating that your SSH key is not recognized, run the command `ssh-keygen -f ~/.ssh/id_rsa` to regenerate your SSH key.
  3. Step 3: Update your GitHub account settings to use the new SSH key.

🎯 Final Words

By following these steps, you should be able to resolve the 'ERROR: Permission to .git denied to user' error and successfully push changes to your repository.

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