How to Use Multiple GitHub Accounts in IntelliJ IDEA: A Step-by-Step Guide

As a developer, you might have multiple projects that require different GitHub accounts. For example, you may have a personal account for an open-source project and a corporate account for your main job. In this article, we will explore how to use multiple GitHub accounts in IntelliJ IDEA.

To start using multiple GitHub accounts in IntelliJ IDEA, you need to go to the settings menu and click on 'Version Control' > 'GitHub'. Here, you can add a new GitHub account by clicking on the '+' button. You will be prompted to enter your GitHub credentials and generate a token.

If you already have a token, you can insert it in the 'Log In to GitHub' dialog window and then click on 'Generate token' to copy the token and paste it into the 'Add GitHub Account' dialog window.

When you want to push changes to a GitHub repository, you may see a warning message indicating that your token has expired. To resolve this issue, you need to generate a new token with the necessary scopes (repo, gist, and read:org).

To create a personal access token on GitHub, follow these steps:

1. Go to your GitHub account settings by clicking on your profile picture in the top right corner of the screen.

2. Click on 'Settings' > 'Developer settings' > 'Personal access tokens'.

3. Make sure that the necessary scopes are enabled (repo, gist, and read:org).

4. Click on 'Generate token' to create a new token.

Once you have created a personal access token, you can insert it in the 'Add GitHub Account' dialog window or register an existing account with the token.

If you have two-factor authentication enabled, you will be asked to enter a code that will be sent to you by SMS or through the mobile application. After entering the code, you will be prompted to generate a new token and copy it into the 'Add GitHub Account' dialog window.

To register an existing account with a token, follow these steps:

1. Go to the 'Version Control' > 'GitHub' menu in IntelliJ IDEA.

2. Click on the '+' button to add a new GitHub account.

3. Enter your GitHub credentials and insert the personal access token.

4. Click on 'Generate token' to create a new token.

Once you have registered your GitHub account, you can start using it to manage Git projects hosted on GitHub directly from IntelliJ IDEA. You can clone repositories, share your projects, create forks, share code through gists, create pull requests, and review incoming pull requests.

In this article, we have explored how to use multiple GitHub accounts in IntelliJ IDEA. We have also discussed the importance of creating personal access tokens with the necessary scopes (repo, gist, and read:org) to avoid token expiration issues. By following these steps, you can easily manage your Git projects hosted on GitHub directly from IntelliJ IDEA.

Note that if you want to configure IntelliJ IDEA to save your account information, you can do so by going to the 'Settings' menu and selecting 'Version Control' > 'GitHub'. From here, you can enter your GitHub credentials and select the option to save them. This way, you won't need to specify your credentials each time you sync with a remote or push your commits.

In conclusion, using multiple GitHub accounts in IntelliJ IDEA is a simple process that requires creating personal access tokens with the necessary scopes (repo, gist, and read:org). By following these steps, you can easily manage your Git projects hosted on GitHub directly from IntelliJ IDEA.

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