Where apps hide your files

Finding your GitHub Desktop clones

Updated 2026-10-28 · 5 min read

GitHub Desktop suggests ~/Documents/GitHub the first time you clone, and after that it suggests whichever folder you used last. Your repositories are ordinary folders you can find and move.

The location

~/Documents/GitHub/<repository-name>

That is where the clone dialog starts on a fresh install. It comes from the app's source code, which builds the default as your Documents folder plus GitHub. There is no fixed home for repositories, though: each clone goes wherever the Local Path field says, and the app then uses the parent of that folder as the starting point for the next clone.

Find a repository you already cloned

You do not have to remember the path. In GitHub Desktop, select the repository, then choose Repository > Show in Finder (⇧⌘F). In the repository list, right-click a repository for Reveal in Finder, or Copy Repo Path to put its full path on the clipboard.

From Terminal, once you are in a clone:

git rev-parse --show-toplevel

prints the repository's folder.

Change where new clones go

GitHub Desktop has no setting for a default clone folder. It remembers a path instead:

1. Choose File > Clone Repository… (⇧⌘O).
2. Pick the repository.
3. Beside Local Path, click Choose… and select the folder you want, for example ~/Developer.
4. Click Clone.

GitHub's documentation for cloning says to click Choose… and navigate to a local directory. In the app's code, clicking Clone saves the parent of the chosen folder as the new default, so the next clone starts in ~/Developer. That remembered value is kept in the app's own local storage, not in a file you edit, so there is no config line to change.

What is inside a clone

A clone is a normal folder holding your project files plus a hidden .git folder. The .git folder is the repository history. Do not delete it and do not copy only the visible files if you want to keep history. In Finder, press ⇧⌘. to show hidden files.

Moving a repository to another folder

Do not drag the folder in Finder without telling the app, or GitHub Desktop will show it as missing. A safe sequence:

1. Quit GitHub Desktop.
2. Move the folder in Finder.
3. Open GitHub Desktop. The repository shows a Can't find message with its name; click Locate… and choose the new folder.

If that is awkward, remove the entry (Repository > Remove…, or Remove… in its right-click menu) and use File > Add Local Repository… (⌘O) to add the folder at its new location. The Remove dialog has an Also move this repository to Trash checkbox: leave it unchecked to keep your files.

The app's own data

GitHub Desktop is an Electron app, and its own settings and logs are not in the clone folder. Going by the app's source, they are in ~/Library/Application Support/GitHub Desktop, with logs in its logs subfolder, and Help > Show Logs in Finder opens that folder. The app is not installed on the Mac used for this guide, so confirm with ls ~/Library/Application\ Support | grep -i github. Your repositories are not stored there.

Credentials and settings that are not here

Your Git identity and options are in ~/.gitconfig, which GitHub Desktop edits when you change its Git settings. Your sign-in token is kept in the macOS Keychain, not in the clone folder.

Space and cleanup

Clones can be large, especially with build output and node_modules. Check sizes with du -sh ~/Documents/GitHub/*. Deleting a clone is safe only if everything is pushed: look for uncommitted changes and unpushed commits first, because the clone may hold the only copy.

Several accounts, one folder layout

GitHub Desktop does not create a separate folder per account or organisation. Two repositories with the same name cannot share a folder, so the second clone needs a different folder name or a different parent. Some people choose parents like ~/Developer/work and ~/Developer/personal. Since the app starts from the last folder you used, check the Local path field before each clone, so a work repository does not land in a personal folder by accident. Nothing is lost if it does: move it using the steps above.

Why searches miss them

~/Documents is searchable, but Spotlight and Finder searches leave out hidden folders such as .git, so they cannot list your repositories as repositories, and files inside hidden folders never appear.

Finding repositories next time

If you cannot recall which folder a project is in, type .git or the project name into Everywhere. Matches on .git give you every repository on the Mac, including ones in ~/Developer, on an unplugged drive or inside old backups. Press ⌘↵ to reveal one in Finder. Names only: it does not read your code, so a search for a function name will not find it. Coverage of ~/Documents depends on Everywhere having Full Disk Access.

Common questions

Where does GitHub Desktop save repositories on a Mac?

By default in ~/Documents/GitHub/<repo-name>. After you clone somewhere else, the app suggests that folder next time.

How do I change the GitHub Desktop clone folder?

In the Clone dialog, click Choose… beside Local Path and pick a folder. The app remembers the parent of what you chose for the next clone.

How do I open a repository in Finder from GitHub Desktop?

Select it and choose Repository > Show in Finder (⇧⌘F), or right-click it in the repository list and choose Reveal in Finder.

Can I move a GitHub Desktop repository to another folder?

Yes. Quit the app, move the folder, reopen it and point the app at the new location, or add the folder again with File > Add Local Repository.