How to install Git Large File Storage on Windows?

Question

According to its doc, double-click should be enough. But when I opened git bash and ran git lfs init, it doesn't work:

$ git lfs init
git: 'lfs' is not a git command. See 'git --help'.

try this then https://git-lfs.github.com/?utm_source=github_site&utm_medium=learnmore_link&utm_campaign=gitlfs — Josua Marcel C, Aug 01 '15 at 03:55

score 8 · Accepted Answer · edited Oct 07 '20 at 22:08

8

The only reason why "git lfs" would not be a git command would be because the git-lfs.exe hasn't been put in your %PATH%.

That is what the git-lfs-windows-amd64-0.5.3\install.bat is supposed to do.

set GIT_LFS_BIN_PATH="%LOCALAPPDATA%\GitLFS\bin"
IF EXIST %GIT_LFS_BIN_PATH% GOTO DIRECTORY_EXISTS
mkdir %GIT_LFS_BIN_PATH%
set "path=%PATH%;%GIT_LFS_BIN_PATH:"=%"

So:

Make sure install.bat was successfully executed
Check the content of "%LOCALAPPDATA%\GitLFS\bin"
make sure to open a new CMD Windows
Check your %PATH% environment variable

edited Oct 07 '20 at 22:08

orion elenzil

4,484
3
37
49

answered Aug 01 '15 at 09:14

VonC

1,262,500
529
4,410
5,250

4

This should either be in the git-lfs docs or added to the installer, as all Windows users encounter this. – Nitay Mar 27 '17 at 15:30

score 3 · Answer 2 · answered Nov 10 '22 at 12:27

Just adding my 2c in case someone lands on this page..

The easiest (and I believe most "correct") option to install LFS on Windows is to use the windows' built-in winget package manager

winget install -e --id GitHub.GitLFS

I was getting the same error as you after simply running the downloaded installer, however the winget command fixed it for me.

PS. Even if you don't have winget - running winget will automatically install it from MS Store

How to install Git Large File Storage on Windows?

2 Answers2