Setting Up Git Bash in Positron (Windows)

Author

Class Reference Guide

Published

August 25, 2026

1. Install Git for Windows

To get a Linux/Mac-style command line on Windows, you need to install Git Bash.

Option A:

In the terminal enter: winget install --id Git.Git -e --source winget and follow the prompts

Option B: 1. Go to the official website: https://git-scm.com. 2. Click “Click here to download” to get the latest 64-bit standalone installer. 3. Open the downloaded .exe file to start the setup wizard. 4. Click Next through the prompts. Most defaults are perfect, but ensure the following are checked: * Choosing the default editor: You can leave this as Vim, or switch it to VS Code/Notepad if preferred. * Adjusting your PATH environment: Ensure “Git from the command line and also from 3rd-party software” is selected (this is the default). 5. Click Install, then click Finish once it completes.

2. Set Git Bash as Default in Positron

Now, configure Positron to open Git Bash automatically instead of PowerShell.

Open Positron.
Open the Command Palette using the keyboard shortcut:
- Ctrl + Shift + P
Type Terminal: Select Default Profile into the search bar and press Enter.
A dropdown menu will appear at the top of the screen. Select Git Bash from the list.
Open a new terminal to test it:
- Press (Control + Backtick) or go to Terminal -> New Terminal.
- You should see a green/purple prompt ending with a $ symbol.

3. Navigating Windows Drive Letters in Git Bash

Windows uses drive letters (like C: or D:) instead of a single root directory. Git Bash mounts these drives under a virtual root directory (/) so you can navigate your entire computer using Unix paths.

Finding and Switching Drives

The C: Drive: Your main hard drive is mapped to /c/. To jump directly to your main drive, type:
```
cd /c/
```
External Drives / USBs: If you plug in a flash drive or external drive that Windows labels as D: or E:, Git Bash maps it to /d/ or /e/. Switch to it by typing:
```
cd /d/
```
See All Available Drives: To see a list of every mounted drive letter on the computer, type:
```
df -h
```

Understanding Your Paths

When you open Git Bash, you start in your user “Home” directory (~), which is actually located at /c/Users/YourUsername/.

To see your current path in Windows format: Type pwd -W. This bridges the gap if you are confused about where you are in the Windows File Explorer.
To open your current terminal location in Windows File Explorer: Type:
```
explorer .
```

4. Core Command Translation Cheat Sheet

Git Bash allows you to use standard Unix syntax directly on Windows. Use this guide to practice your command-line techniques:

Goal	Mac / Linux / Git Bash	Windows PowerShell	What it Does
List Files	`ls` or `ls -la`	`Get-ChildItem`	Shows everything in the current folder
Change Folder	`cd path/to/folder`	`Set-Location`	Moves you to a new directory
Print Location	`pwd`	`Get-Location`	Prints the full path of your current folder
Make Folder	`mkdir new_project`	`New-Item -Type Directory`	Creates a brand new directory
Create File	`touch script.R`	`New-Item script.R`	Creates an empty file
View File	`more data.csv`	`Get-Content data.csv`	Dumps the file contents into the terminal
Search Text	`grep "tidyverse" script.R`	`Select-String`	Finds specific words inside a file
Clear Screen	`clear`	`Clear-Host` or `cls`	Cleans up a messy terminal screen
Open File	`open page.html \|`start page.html`	Opens a file in the default program

5. Key Windows Tips for Mac/Linux Users

The Control Key: Windows uses Ctrl instead of Command. To copy text in the terminal, use Ctrl + Shift + C. To cancel a running command, press Ctrl + C.
Case Insensitivity: Windows does not care about capital letters in file names. data.csv and DATA.CSV are treated as the exact same file.
File Paths in R: While Windows naturally uses backslashes (\), Git Bash translates standard forward slashes (/) seamlessly. Always use forward slashes when writing R scripts (e.g., read.csv("data/my_data.csv")) so your code works perfectly on both Windows and Mac!

6. Clone the Repository

Get the course materials by cloning the GitHub repository. In the terminal, type:

git clone https://github.com/joshtanga/dataviz-R.git