Windows Credential Manager is a built-in Windows tool that stores saved sign-in information for websites, applications, network services, and other accounts.

It can help Windows remember usernames, passwords, and other authentication information so that you do not need to enter them every time.

Why Credential Manager Exists

Many programs need to sign in to online services or other computers.

Instead of asking for your credentials every time, Windows can store them securely and provide them when needed.

Credential Manager may contain saved information for:

• Websites
• Microsoft services
• Network drives
• Remote computers
• Business applications
• Git and GitHub tools

Web Credentials and Windows Credentials

Credential Manager normally separates saved information into two main sections.

Web Credentials

Web Credentials may contain sign-in information associated with websites or Microsoft applications.

Windows Credentials

Windows Credentials may contain saved information used by Windows applications, network connections, remote computers, and development tools.

A GitHub-related entry may sometimes appear in the Windows Credentials section.

How to Open Credential Manager

To open Credential Manager in Windows:

1. Click the Start button.
2. Type Credential Manager.
3. Click Credential Manager in the search results.
4. Select either Web Credentials or Windows Credentials.

You can then expand an entry to view basic information or remove the saved credential.

How Credential Manager Relates to GitHub

Git for Windows commonly uses a program called Git Credential Manager to help authenticate with GitHub.

When you run a command such as:

git push

Git may ask Git Credential Manager to provide valid sign-in information.

Git Credential Manager may then open your web browser and ask you to sign in to GitHub. After the sign-in succeeds, it can store the authorization information for future Git operations.

This means you may not need to sign in every time you push changes.

Why an Authentication Error Can Occur

An old, incorrect, or expired saved credential can sometimes cause a Git operation to fail.

You may see an error such as:

Invalid username or token.
Authentication failed.

This does not necessarily mean that your GitHub repository is damaged or that your files were lost.

It usually means that Git could not authenticate using the saved sign-in information.

Removing an Old Credential

If a saved GitHub credential is causing a problem, you may be able to remove it from Windows Credential Manager.

Look for entries containing terms such as:

github.com
git:https://github.com

After removing the old entry, the next Git operation may ask you to sign in again.

Only remove a credential when you recognize the service and understand why it is being removed.

Signing In Through the Browser

Git Credential Manager may offer an option such as:

Sign in with your browser

This opens GitHub in your web browser, where you can sign in and approve access.

After authentication succeeds, you can return to the Command Prompt or terminal and retry the Git command.

git push

Credential Manager Is Not a Password Manager

Windows Credential Manager is mainly designed to help Windows and applications authenticate automatically.

It is not intended to replace a full password manager such as Bitwarden, 1Password, or another dedicated password-management service.

A password manager is better suited for organizing website logins, secure notes, identity information, and passwords that you may need to view or manage directly.

Use Credential Manager Carefully

Credential Manager can be useful when troubleshooting sign-in problems, but saved credentials should be handled carefully.

• Do not remove entries you do not recognize without investigating them.
• Do not share passwords, tokens, or authentication codes.
• Use browser-based sign-in when offered by a trusted application.
• Keep Windows and security software up to date.

A Practical Example

Suppose you try to upload a Git project to GitHub and receive an authentication error.

You check Windows Credential Manager but do not see an obvious GitHub entry. You then run:

git credential-manager github login

Git Credential Manager opens the browser, you sign in to GitHub, and the browser reports that authentication succeeded.

You return to the terminal and run:

git push -u origin main

The project is then uploaded successfully.

Summary

Windows Credential Manager stores authentication information used by Windows, applications, websites, and network services.

For GitHub users, it can work together with Git Credential Manager to make Git sign-ins easier. It can also be a useful place to check when an old saved credential causes an authentication problem.