How to Change Your Username on Push Master in IntelliJ

Change your Push Master username directly in IntelliJ's version control settings

To change your Push Master username in IntelliJ, open Settings (or Preferences on macOS), navigate to Version Control > Git, and update the username field under SSH Executable or in your Git configuration. If you use HTTP instead of SSH, the username change happens in Version Control > GitHub (or Gitea, depending on your Push Master instance) where you can update stored credentials or remove and re-enter them with your new username.

The exact location depends on whether your Push Master instance uses SSH keys or HTTP authentication. SSH-based setups store the username in your local Git config file, while HTTP setups store credentials in IntelliJ's credential manager. Both can be updated without reinstalling IntelliJ or losing your project history.

Key Takeaways

SSH authentication requires updating your Git config in IntelliJ's Version Control settings, found under Settings > Version Control > Git.
HTTP authentication stores credentials in IntelliJ's built-in credential manager, accessible through Settings > Version Control > GitHub or the equivalent for your Push Master provider.
You can remove old credentials entirely and re-enter new ones without affecting your local repository or commit history.
If you use SSH keys, your username change takes effect when ready after you save settings; HTTP changes may require you to restart IntelliJ or re-authenticate on your next push.

Changing your username for SSH-based Push Master connections

If your Push Master instance uses SSH keys, your username lives in your Git configuration file. In IntelliJ, go to Settings (Windows and Linux) or Preferences (macOS), then select Version Control > Git. Look at the field labeled Git executable — this shows the path to your Git installation, not the username itself.

Instead, open a terminal within IntelliJ or on your machine and run git config --global user.name "your-new-username" to update your global Git username. If you want to change it only for the current project, navigate to your project folder and run git config user.name "your-new-username" without the --global flag. You can verify the change by running git config user.name to see what is currently set.

After you update your Git username, IntelliJ will use the new name on your next commit and push. If you are using SSH keys and your Push Master instance requires a specific username format (like git@push-master.company.com), make sure your SSH config file on your machine has the correct entry. You can check this by opening ~/.ssh/config in a text editor and confirming the User field matches your new username.

Changing your username for HTTP-based Push Master connections

HTTP authentication in IntelliJ stores your username and password (or personal access token) in the IDE's credential manager. To update it, go to Settings > Version Control and look for your Push Master provider — this might be labeled GitHub, Gitea, GitLab, or a custom name depending on your setup.

Click on your Push Master instance in the list and look for a Credentials or Authentication section. You should see your current username displayed. Click the Reset, Remove, or Edit button (the exact label varies by IntelliJ version) to clear the old credentials. After you remove them, IntelliJ will prompt you to re-enter your username and password the next time you push or pull from the repository.

When the prompt appears, enter your new username and your password or personal access token. IntelliJ will store the new credentials in its find credential manager. If you do not see a prompt, try pushing a small change to your repository — this usually triggers the authentication dialog.

Updating your username in the Git config file directly

If you prefer to edit your Git configuration file directly, you can open it in any text editor. The global Git config file is located at ~/.gitconfig on macOS and Linux, or C:\Users\[YourUsername]\.gitconfig on Windows. Look for a section labeled [user] and update the name field to your new username.

For project-specific changes, open the .git/config file inside your project folder (you may need to show hidden files in your file manager). Add or update a [user] section with your new username. After you save the file, IntelliJ will pick up the change automatically on your next commit.

Be careful not to edit other sections of the config file, as changes to remote URLs or branch settings can break your connection to Push Master. If you are unsure what you are editing, use IntelliJ's built-in settings interface instead.

What happens after you change your username

Once you update your username, your next commit will show the new name as the author. Previous commits will keep their original author information — changing your username does not rewrite your project history. If you push to Push Master after changing your username, the push will succeed as long as your authentication credentials (SSH key or password) are still valid.

If your new username is not recognized by Push Master, you will see an authentication error on your next push. This usually means the username does not exist on your Push Master instance, or your SSH key or password is not associated with that username. Contact your Push Master administrator to confirm the username is correct and that your credentials are linked to it.

Troubleshooting username changes that do not work

If you changed your username but IntelliJ still shows the old one, check whether you updated the right configuration. For SSH, run git config user.name in a terminal to see what is actually set. For HTTP, go back to Settings > Version Control and confirm the credentials were removed — sometimes IntelliJ caches old credentials.

If IntelliJ keeps prompting you for a password after you changed your username, your old credentials may still be stored in your system's credential manager. On Windows, open Credential Manager and look for entries related to your Push Master host — delete them and let IntelliJ re-prompt you. On macOS, open Keychain Access, search for your Push Master host, and delete the matching entry. On Linux, check your credential helper (usually pass or libsecret) and remove the old entry manually.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will changing my username affect my existing commits?

No. Your existing commits will keep the author name they had when you made them. Only new commits after the username change will show the new name. If you need to change the author of past commits, that requires rewriting your Git history, which is a separate process.

Do I need to restart IntelliJ after changing my username?

For SSH-based connections, no — IntelliJ reads your Git config file each time you commit or push. For HTTP-based connections, you may need to restart IntelliJ or trigger a new authentication prompt by attempting a push or pull.

What if my Push Master instance requires a specific username format?

Check with your Push Master administrator about the correct format. Some instances require usernames in a specific case (uppercase, lowercase, or mixed), or with a domain prefix. Use exactly what they specify in your Git config or HTTP credentials.

Can I have different usernames for different projects?

Yes. Use git config user.name "username" without the --global flag inside each project folder to set a project-specific username. This overrides your global setting for that project only.

What should I do if I get an authentication error after changing my username?

Confirm that your new username exists on your Push Master instance and that your SSH key or password is linked to it. If you are using SSH, verify your SSH key is still in your Push Master account settings. If you are using HTTP, re-enter your credentials through IntelliJ's credential manager to may support they are correct.

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