Question: How do I download files from GitHub?
Answer: Today, more and more code is stored in GitHub. But for non-developers it can be confusing to understand how to actually get content and download files from GitHub.
I recently needed to download the VMM SDN Express scripts from https://github.com/Microsoft/SDN/tree/master/VMM/VMM%20SDN%20Express. However, that page has no obvious download button. Yes, each individual file can be viewed and its content copy-pasted to a local file, but that's not the best or most efficient solution.
To easily download multiple files from GitHub, you should take the following three steps:
- Navigate to the top-level of the project (SDN in this case) or the specific repository you want to download.
- Click the green "Code" download button on the top-level page.
- Select the "Download ZIP" option from the "Code" pull-down menu.
As a result, the downloaded ZIP file will contain the entire GitHub repository content, including the files you wanted. For additional step-by-step instruction for getting started with GitHub, check out this video from ITPro Today's YouTube channel:
Additional Resources:
- What Is GitHub and What Is It Used For?
- GitHub vs. GitLab: Which One Is Better for Your Enterprise?
- GitHub Updates Improve Code Security, Developer Productivity
- Microsoft’s GitHub Acquisition Changed Windows Development Forever
- What the GitOps Model Is and Why It's Taking Off
- GitHub Good Day Project Identifies Developer Happiness
- GitHub Sponsors Expands to Help Open Source Developers Make More Money
