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Troubleshooting

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Hyun-woo Bae edited this page Jul 19, 2026 · 1 revision

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Troubleshooting

Helpful tips for when things aren't working as expected. Most issues have simple solutions!

Git Tab Won't Open

Symptoms

  • You clicked the Git Tab icon but nothing happens.
  • Or the window appears briefly and then closes immediately.

Solutions

Method 1: Check for .NET 8 Runtime

Git Tab requires the .NET 8 Desktop Runtime. Let's verify it's installed.

1. Check if it's installed:

  1. Open Windows Search (🔍) and search for "Programs" or "Programs and Features".
  2. Look through the installed programs list for ".NET Desktop Runtime".
  3. If you see version "8.0", you're all set.

2. If it's not installed:

  1. Go to Microsoft's .NET download page.
  2. Select ".NET 8.0" → "Desktop Runtime".
  3. Download the "x64" version (for typical 64-bit Windows).
  4. Run the installer and follow the prompts.
  5. After installation completes, restart Git Tab.

Method 2: Run as Administrator

  1. Right-click the Git Tab shortcut (or .exe file).
  2. Select "Run as administrator".

Method 3: Reinstall

  1. Open Windows Control Panel → "Programs and Features" (or "Uninstall a program").
  2. Find "Git Tab" and click "Uninstall".
  3. Follow the steps on the Getting Started page to reinstall.

"Git not found" or "Git executable not found" Error

Symptoms

Git command not found
Git executable not found

Solutions

Method 1: Reinstall Git Tab

Git Tab includes Git tools during installation. If something went wrong:

  1. Follow the "Reinstall" section under "Git Tab Won't Open" above.

Method 2: Check System PATH (Advanced)

If you've installed Git separately on your system:

  1. Verify that Git is included in your system's PATH environment variable.
  2. Open Windows Search → "Edit environment variables" → check the "Path" list for a Git folder (e.g., C:\Program Files\Git\bin).
  3. If it's missing, add it and restart your computer.

Context Menu Not Showing

Symptoms

You right-clicked a folder in Windows Explorer, but the "Git Tab" menu option isn't visible.

Solutions

Method 1: Enable in Git Tab Settings

  1. Click the ⚙ Settings icon in Git Tab.
  2. Look for the "Integration" or "Windows Explorer" section.
  3. Check the box for "Enable Windows Explorer Context Menu".
  4. Click "Save" or "Apply".

Method 2: Restart Windows Explorer

After enabling the setting above:

  1. Close all Explorer windows.
  2. Reopen Explorer (press the Windows key, type "explorer" and press Enter).
  3. Try right-clicking a folder again.

Or use the Task Manager:

  1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
  2. Find "explorer.exe", right-click it, and select "Restart".

Method 3: Windows 11's "Show more options"

Windows 11 shows a simplified context menu by default:

  1. Right-click a folder.
  2. At the bottom of the menu, click "Show more options".
  3. The full context menu will appear, and you should see "Git Tab" here.

Method 4: Disable Other Git Tools' Menus

If you have other Git tools installed (TortoiseGit, GitHub Desktop, etc.), their menu entries might conflict:

  1. Open settings for the other tool and disable the "Windows Explorer context menu" option.
  2. Restart Explorer.
  3. Re-enable Git Tab's menu in Git Tab settings if needed.

Push Authentication Failed

Symptoms

Authentication failed
Permission denied

Solutions

Method 1: Verify Your Personal Access Token

You need a PAT (Personal Access Token), not your GitHub password.

  1. Follow the Authentication page to generate a token.
  2. When prompted during Push, enter the token in the authentication dialog.

⚠️ GitHub passwords no longer work!

Method 2: Clear Saved Credentials

You may have old or incorrect credentials stored.

  1. Open Windows Search → search for "Credential Manager".
  2. Click the "Windows Credentials" tab.
  3. Find GitHub-related entries (like git:https://github.com).
  4. Click on it → click "Remove".
  5. Try Push again in Git Tab.
  6. Enter your token when the authentication dialog appears.

Or from Git Tab settings:

  1. ⚙ Settings → "Credentials" section.
  2. Click "Clear Saved Credentials".
  3. Try again.

Method 3: Check Token Permissions

  1. Visit GitHub's Personal Access Tokens page (Settings → Developer settings → Personal access tokens).
  2. Find the token you're using.
  3. Verify that "repo" permission is checked.
  4. Check that the expiration date hasn't passed.
  5. If it has expired, follow the "Token Expired" section below on the Authentication page.

Method 4: Verify Internet Connection

  1. Make sure your internet is working.
  2. Check that your firewall isn't blocking Git or GitHub access.

Garbled Text or Korean Characters

Symptoms

  • Commit messages or filenames show as ????? or strange characters.
  • You can't type Korean characters in the commit message box on the right.

Solutions

Method 1: Change Language Setting

  1. Click ⚙ Settings → "Language" dropdown.
  2. Select "한국어" (Korean) or "English" as needed.
  3. The app will restart and display in your chosen language.

Method 2: Check Windows System Language

  1. Open Windows Settings (⚙) → "Time & Language" → "Language & region".
  2. Verify that "Windows display language" is set to "한국어" (or your preferred language).
  3. If it's different, select the correct language and restart your computer.

Method 3: Check Input Method

If you can't type Korean in the commit message box:

  1. Click the message input box on the right.
  2. Press your language toggle key (Shift + Space or Alt + ~ on Korean keyboards).
  3. Verify the input method shows "한국어" (Korean).

Where Do I Find Error Logs?

Question

"Something seems wrong. Where can I find detailed error messages?"

Answer

Git Tab log files are located at:

C:\Users\[YourUsername]\AppData\Roaming\GitTab\logs

Or from within Git Tab:

  1. Open ⚙ Settings.
  2. Click "Open Logs Folder".

You can open log files in a text editor (Notepad, VS Code, etc.) to see detailed error messages. If you can't solve the problem yourself, attach the log file to a GitHub Issue and report it to the developers.

Repository Not Recognized

Symptoms

  • You opened a folder but got a message: "This is not a Git repository."
  • Clicking "Open" from the right-click menu doesn't load the repository.

Solutions

Check 1: Is there a .git folder?

  1. Open the folder in Windows Explorer.
  2. Go to the top menu → "View" → check "Hidden items".
  3. Look for a .git folder.

If the .git folder is missing:

The folder is not yet a Git repository. Initialize it:

  1. Open the folder in Git Tab, then select "Initialize Repository" from the menu.
  2. Or right-click the folder in Windows Explorer → "Git Tab" → "Initialize".

Check 2: Verify Folder Permissions

  1. Right-click the folder → "Properties".
  2. Click the "Security" tab and verify you have read permissions.
  3. If not, click "Edit" to add yourself with appropriate permissions.

Check 3: Check the Folder Path

  1. Very long paths (260+ characters) or paths with many special characters can cause issues.
  2. If possible, move or rename the folder to a simpler path. 
    ✗ Bad:   C:\Users\user\Desktop\2024project\special★name\gitrepo
✓ Good:  C:\Projects\my-repo

Resolving Merge Conflicts

Symptoms

A message appears: "Conflict detected during Push/Pull or merge."

Detailed Solution

See the Features page under the "Resolve Conflicts" section for step-by-step guidance with visuals.

If the conflict is too complex:

  1. In Git Tab, select "Abort Merge" or "Cancel Merge".
  2. You'll return to the original state.
  3. Ask a teammate which lines they edited, then work together to resolve.

Performance Issues or High Memory Usage

Symptoms

  • Git Tab responds slowly.
  • It takes a long time to open large repositories.

Solutions

Method 1: Clear Cache

  1. Click ⚙ Settings → "Advanced" section.
  2. Click "Clear Cache".

Method 2: Remove Unused Repositories

  1. In the recent repositories list, right-click unused repositories → "Remove".

Method 3: Maintain the Repository

For very large repositories (thousands of commits):

  1. Visit your repository on GitHub → "Settings" → "Danger Zone" → "Clean up repository".
  2. Or ask someone who knows git commands to run git gc.

Something Else Is Wrong

Troubleshooting Steps

  1. Check this page for similar symptoms.
  2. Read the FAQ section.
  3. Review the Features page for the related feature.
  4. Search GitHub Issues. (Your issue might already be solved!)
  5. If not resolved, click "New issue" on GitHub Issues and include:
    • A description of what you see
    • Steps to reproduce it
    • Your log file (if relevant)

Still Not Working?

  1. Follow the "Where Do I Find Error Logs?" section above to get your log file.
  2. Open the log file in a text editor and look for error messages.
  3. Report on GitHub Issues and include:
    • What you tried to do
    • Step-by-step reproduction
    • The error message from the log file
    • Your Windows version (Settings → System → About)
    • Your .NET Runtime version (Run dotnet --list-runtimes in PowerShell, or check Programs and Features)

The developers will help as quickly as possible!

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