Git authentication failed errors occur when incorrect credentials or outdated authentication methods prevent access to remote repositories.
Ensure correct username and password or token are used.
Use personal access tokens instead of passwords when required.
Check and update saved credentials or authentication settings.
Common Causes of the Error
Occurs due to invalid credentials or changes in authentication settings.
Incorrect Username or Password: The simplest reason is entering the wrong username or password.
Outdated Credentials: Saved credentials that are no longer valid can cause this error.
Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): If 2FA is enabled on your Git hosting service, your regular password won't work.
Changed Password: If you've recently changed your password, your saved credentials may be outdated.
Token Expiry: If you're using a personal access token (PAT), it might have expired.
Steps to Solve the Error
Follow a structured process to identify and fix Git authentication issues.
Step 1: Creating a git repository and installing Git Bash
Create a Git repository to store your project files and ensure Git Bash is installed on your system. Once you understand basic Git operations like pushing code, you can proceed to handle authentication errors.
Step 2: Prepare Repository and Files
Create a sample (dummy) Git repository and keep the files ready that you want to upload to GitHub.
While pushing files to the repository, you may encounter the error: “remote: Invalid username or password / fatal: Authentication failed” This guide focuses on resolving this specific issue.
