How to Sync Changes Between Multiple GitHub Users

If you are using GitHub Desktop, open the app and select your repository from the "Current Repository" dropdown in the top-left corner. If you prefer the browser, go to github.com, navigate to your repository, and click the period key (.) on your keyboard to open the web-based VS Code editor. Both options let you view and edit files without touching a terminal. GitHub Desktop is better for ongoing work, while the web editor is great for quick edits.

Before you change anything, you need to download the latest version from GitHub. In GitHub Desktop, click the "Fetch origin" button at the top of the window. If there are new changes, the button will change to "Pull origin" — click it again to download them. In the web editor, changes are loaded automatically when you open the repository. Pulling first prevents conflicts where your edits clash with someone else's recent work.

Instead of editing the main branch directly, create your own branch. In GitHub Desktop, click the "Current Branch" dropdown at the top, then click "New Branch." Name it something descriptive like "update-homepage-text" and click "Create Branch." On the GitHub website, click the branch dropdown (it says "main") above the file list, type your new branch name in the search box, and click "Create branch: update-homepage-text from main." Your branch is now a safe copy where your changes will not affect anyone else until you are ready.

Edit the files you need to change. In GitHub Desktop, open the file in your preferred text editor (it will suggest one during setup). Make your changes and save the file. Back in GitHub Desktop, you will see the changed files listed in the left panel with green and red highlights. In the bottom-left corner, type a short summary of what you changed — for example, "Update pricing section with new plans." Then click the blue "Commit to update-homepage-text" button. In the web editor, edit the file directly, click the Source Control icon on the left sidebar (it looks like a branch), type your commit message, and click the checkmark to commit.

Your commit is saved locally but your teammates cannot see it yet. In GitHub Desktop, click the "Push origin" button at the top of the window. This uploads your branch and all its commits to GitHub. In the web editor, your changes are pushed automatically when you commit. Once pushed, your branch and its changes are visible to everyone with access to the repository. If this is your first push for a new branch, GitHub Desktop may show "Publish branch" instead of "Push origin" — they do the same thing.

Go to your repository on github.com. You will likely see a yellow banner saying your branch had recent pushes with a green "Compare & pull request" button — click it. If you do not see the banner, click the "Pull requests" tab, then the green "New pull request" button. Select your branch from the "compare" dropdown. Write a title and description explaining what you changed. Click the green "Create pull request" button. Your teammates can now review and approve the changes before they become part of the main project.