Last updated: February 2025
GitKraken Desktop’s UI helps make sense of Git. Below we cover the layout and what the icons represent.
From left to right, GitKraken Desktop displays a left reference panel, Commit Graph, and the Commit Panel when working with a repository.
Toolbar
In addition to Undo and Redo, the main toolbar houses common repo actions.
Undo
Many actions performed in GitKraken Desktop can be undone. If an action is undoable, the Undo button will be a solid color ready for action.
Redo
What if you undid something, only to realize that you didn’t want to undo it? GitKraken Desktop also has a Redo button so you can undo your undos.
Pull
Pull changes from your remote repos with this button. See the button next to the icon? Click that to customize the type of pull you want to perform:
- Fetch All
- Pull (fast-forward if possible)
- Pull (fast-forward only): equivalent of
git fetch git merge --ff-onlyin the CLI - Pull (rebase): equivalent of
git fetch git rebasein the CLI
Tip: If you find yourself repeatedly performing the same pull actions, set the default pull type by clicking the icon to the pull type’s left. The default selection will appear as a icon.
Push
Push changes to the remote repo as set in your upstream.
Branch
Create a branch on your current local repo.
Stash
Stash your work-in-process (// WIP) changes.
Pop Stash
Ready to restore your // WIP? Pop that stash and carry on as you were.
LFS
Have large files in your repo? This button will appear when you have LFS enabled on the repository.
Note: Toggle the toolbar labels by navigating to Preferences > UI Preferences and toggling the Show toolbar icon labels checkbox.
Left Panel
Referred to as the Left “ref” Panel, GitKraken Desktop shows the properties below specific to your repository.
- The panel and each section can be collapsed or expanded as needed.
- The panel and each section can be resized by clicking and dragging.
- Sections can be toggled by right-clicking a section and selecting the desired section from the context menu.
- Sections can be maximized by double-clicking a section header.
Local
References to local branches — pointers to specific commits allowing work to be separated.
If you need help with branches, visit our Branching and Merging page.
Remote
References to remote branches.
Set sail into pushing and pulling remotes for more.
Pull Requests
This shows active requests for merging one branch into another. With the GitHub or Bitbucket integration, new PRs can be created directly from GitKraken Desktop.
Create your Pull Request to get your contribution merged.
Issues
Teams
Easily see what your Team members are working on.
Tags
These represent active pointers to commits but never move. Tag, you’re it!
Stashes
Stored file changes in the working copy.
For saving your loot to play with later, here’s more on stashes.
Submodules
A Git repository in a subdirectory of the current repository.
Git-inception with submodules anyone?
Commit Panel
The Commit Panel is where files and changes from your working directory are staged and committed.
The three parts in order of operations on the staging panel are:
- Unstaged Files — Watched files in your working directory that have changed since the last commit.
- Renamed, deleted, new, or modified files appear here.
- Staged Files — Files manually added to the index that are ready to commit.
- Individual lines, hunks, or all of the changes can be added
-
Commit Message — recording staged changes to the repository
- Summary: The brief but meaningful message supporting your commit. This text will appear in the graph.
- Description: The extended message to provide more details behind the changes.
Also, here is a quick color guide for the file symbols:
For deeper waters on staging, dive into committing work.
Commit Graph
Oooo colors!
The Commit Graph in GitKraken Desktop is the core of your repo and a representation of the Directed Acyclic Graph (DAG). Your commits are displayed here, along with commits from other contributors.
Each row of the graph represents one commit, and the top is always for the latest changes. An interactive //WIP (Work-In-Progress) node will show if the working directory has changed since the last commit.
Branches and tag labels on the left side of the graph are pointers to specific commits, and each vertical column represents a branch currently available on the repository.
Columns can intersect through merge commits as shown in the graph legend. As also shown, multiple branches can be at the same place of a single commit and can be both local and remote.
For a given vertical track, you can read from bottom to top, and right to left to see how changes are introduced into a focused branch.
Tabs
Quickly switch between multiple repositories.
You can add new tabs, drag & drop to rearrange, and remove tabs from the top bar. You can also use the corresponding shortcut keys cmd+1-9 on Windows/Linux and cmd+1-9 on mac to quickly switch between repositories.
Tip: You can open a new tab with the + icon (shortcut: cmd/ctrl+T) and you can close a tab with middle-click (shortcut: cmd/ctrl+W)
Tabs are saved for each profile, so you can have multiple sets of tabs that will open when you switch profiles!
Access a list of all open repositories from the arrow drop-down.
Hover over an open tab to quickly see the end portion of the file path.
Tab alias and name
An alias can be set for repository tabs. To give an alias to a repository tab, right-click the tab and select Alias reposiotry. After filling out the name, select save.
Columns
GitKraken Desktop will show 3 columns in the header by default: Branch/Tag, Graph, and Commit Message. These 3 columns are dynamic and can be rearranged with a drag-and-drop.
Right-click on any column header to enable or disable additional columns such as Commit Author, Commit Date/Time, or Sha.
Alternatively, click the icon to enable or disable columns like Branch/Tag, Graph, Commit Message, Author, Date/Time, Sha, or change to Compact Graph view.
In addition to using cmd/ctrl+F to search commits, users may also filter by commit author. Click the icon in the AUTHOR column and you can:
- Select one or more users from the drop-down
- Select one or more teams which will filter by all users in that team
- Search for teams or users in the search field
Columns may also be toggled from Preferences > UI Customization, GitKraken Desktop will remember which columns you have selected, column size, and orientation for each repo.
For more details on the interface, like soloing remotes, visit Hiding and Soloing.
