GitKraken Desktop Profiles | Manage Git Configs & Accounts

Last updated: February 2026

GitKraken Desktop uses profiles to manage app preferences, Tabs, and Git config settings. You can create and switch between profiles for different projects and environments.

Quick Start

Use profiles in GitKraken Desktop to keep separate Git identities, integrations, and tab sessions for different work contexts.

To create a profile:

1. Click the profile icon in the top-right corner.
2. Select Manage Profiles, then click the option to add a new profile.
3. Enter a profile name, author name, and email address.

To switch profiles:

• Click the profile icon and select the profile you want to use.

What each profile stores:

• Preferences from General, Integrations, and UI Preferences
• Open tabs (duplicated from the active profile when a new profile is created)
• Integration connections (for example, connect one profile to a personal GitHub account and another to a work account)

To sync your profile email with Git’s global config: Enable the option “Keep my .gitconfig updated with my profile info” in Preferences > Profiles.

Multiple profiles require a paid GitKraken subscription. Profiles are accessible from Preferences > Profiles.

Manage Profiles

Enable Keep my .gitconfig updated with my profile info to sync your name and email with Git’s global .gitconfig.

What Does a Profile Store?

Each profile retains settings under:

• Preferences > General
• Preferences > Integrations
• Preferences > UI Preferences

Tabs are also profile-specific. When you create a new profile, GitKraken Desktop will duplicate the tabs open in your current one.

Profiles support unique integration connections. For example, use separate profiles to connect different GitHub accounts.

Change Profile Avatars

If connected to GitHub, GitHub Enterprise Server,GitLab, GitLab Self-Managed, Azure DevOps, or Bitbucket your avatar will match your GitHub profile. Otherwise, GitKraken Desktop uses the Gravatar linked to your profile’s email address.

To change your profile avatar:

1. Click the profile icon in the top-right corner.
2. Select Manage Profiles

Choose an icon or change the email address to use a different Gravatar image.

Author Initials in the Graph

Instead of avatars, display commit author initials in the commit graph:

To enable, go to Preferences > UI Preferences > Display author initials and generic remote icons instead of avatars.

Which Initials Are Used?

GitKraken Desktop uses initials based on the commit’s author name:

• Commits made in GitKraken use profile name initials.
• Commits from the CLI use initials from .git/config or .gitconfig.

Can Profiles Use Different Avatars?

Yes it can, if each profile has a unique email address linked to a different Gravatar. GitKraken currently does not support custom image uploads.