Software⏱️ 2 min read📅 2026-05-30

How to Fix: Git push results in "Authentication Failed"

Authentication failed when pushing to GitHub due to incorrect credentials.

Quick Answer: Check your GitHub credentials and ensure they are correct. If using a personal access token, try switching to username and password.

The error message 'Authentication Failed' when trying to push changes to a GitHub repository can be caused by several factors. It's possible that your username or password is incorrect, or that the credentials are not being stored correctly in your Git configuration.

⚠️ Common Causes

  • Incorrect username or password in the Git configuration.
  • Credentials not being stored correctly due to a missing `git config --global user.name` and `git config --global user.password` command.

🛠️ Step-by-Step Verified Fixes

Method 1: Update Git Configuration

  1. Step 1: Run the command `git config --global user.name "Your Name"` to update your username.
  2. Step 2: Run the command `git config --global user.password "Your Password"` to update your password.

Method 2: Use SSH

  1. Step 1: Generate a new SSH key pair using `ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096` and add the public key to your GitHub account.
  2. Step 2: Run the command `git config --global user.name "Your Name"` to update your username, and then run `git remote set-url origin ` to link your local repository to your GitHub repository using SSH.

✨ Wrapping Up

By following these steps, you should be able to resolve the 'Authentication Failed' error and successfully push changes to your GitHub repository.

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