---
layout: default
title: Move a repo
description: How to move a repo from one account to another
categories: beginner
---

This guide details the process of moving a repo to another account.

Direct move
-----------

If you wish to move a repo between users or organizations, please [contact support](https://github.com/contact) following the details below.

**What to check before creating the support request**

1. Make sure that there is not a repo with the same name on the destination account.

2. Make sure the destination account has unused private repos available if the repo being moved is private.

3. **Please** make sure you login with the account that owns the repositories you want support to move for you. If the repositories belong to different accounts, please create one support request per account.

**What to include in your support request**

1. List the repositories you want support to move.

2. Tell us the destination account (the username)

**Example**

*Subject:* Move repositories

*Repositories*

    myaccount/repoA
    myaccount/repoB
    myaccount/repoC

*Destination*

    destinationaccount

Existing forks
--------------

If a fork of the repo you wish to move already exists on the target account, you can [contact support](https://github.com/contact) to have the roots switched.  Note that deleting the root repo will either delete all forks if the repo is private, or automatically pick a new root if the repo is public.  You cannot pick which repo will become the root, so please contact support if you want a specific repo to become the new root.

Note that if the repo is private the new owner will need a paid plan to support the repo.  Issues, wikis, pages, commits comments and non-repo downloads **will not** be transferred to the new root.  Make sure you do not delete your old repo if you have any of these you wish to keep.

Manual clone and push
---------------------

If you have a repo on an external server that you wish to move to GitHub, you can move it with a special clone and push.  This method will create an exact mirror of the repo into the new repo.

First, create a new repo on the target account.  Next, create a mirror that includes all branches and tags.  To do this you need to do a bare-clone followed by a mirror-push:

<pre class="terminal">
git clone --bare url/for/my-old-repo.git
cd my-old-repo.git
git push --mirror git@github.com:mycompany/my-new-repo.git
cd ..
rm -rf my-old-repo.git
</pre>