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GitHub Multiple Accounts with SSH on macOS

This guide explains how to configure two GitHub accounts (e.g., personal and work) on a Mac using SSH keys. It also provides a simple script to switch between accounts easily.

1. Generate SSH Keys

Generate a separate SSH key for each GitHub account. Enter the filename accordingly when prompted Enter file in which to save the key (/Users/you/.ssh/id_ed25519):.

# Personal account
ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "your_personal_email@example.com"
# Save as: /Users/you/.ssh/id_ed25519_personal

# Work account
ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "your_work_email@example.com"
# Save as: /Users/you/.ssh/id_ed25519_work

When prompted, give each key a unique filename. You can leave the passphrase empty or set one for extra security.

2. Add SSH Keys to ssh-agent

Start the agent and add both keys:

eval "$(ssh-agent -s)"
ssh-add ~/.ssh/id_ed25519_personal
ssh-add ~/.ssh/id_ed25519_work

3. Add Public Keys to GitHub

Copy the public key (the .pub file):

pbcopy < ~/.ssh/id_ed25519_personal.pub
  • Go to GitHub → Settings → SSH and GPG keys → New SSH key
  • Paste the key.
  • Repeat for your work account.

⚠️ Never add the private key (id_ed25519) — only the .pub file goes to GitHub.

4. (Optional) SSH Config File

If you prefer to avoid switching manually, you can configure host aliases in ~/.ssh/config.

# Work GitHub account (default)
Host github.com
  IgnoreUnknown UseKeychain
  AddKeysToAgent yes
  UseKeychain yes
  IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_ed25519_work

# Personal GitHub account
Host github-personal
  HostName github.com
  User git
  AddKeysToAgent yes
  UseKeychain yes
  IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_ed25519_personal

Usage:

  • Clone work repos:
    git clone git@github.com:workuser/repo.git
  • Clone personal repos:
    git clone git@github-personal:personaluser/repo.git
  • Set remote URL for work repos:
    git remote set-url origin git@github.com:workuser/repo.git
  • Set remote URL for personal repos:
    git remote set-url origin git@github-personal:personaluser/repo.git

Note: If you don't want to use aliases, skip this step and use the script in the next section.

Or you can separate ssh config files and use -F option in the script below.

Create ~/.ssh/config_personal:

Host *
  IgnoreUnknown UseKeychain
  AddKeysToAgent yes
  UseKeychain yes
  IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_ed25519_personal

5. Switching Accounts with a Script

If you want to keep using git@github.com:username/repo.git (no aliases), you can switch accounts using a small script.

Create ~/.ssh/switch-github.sh:

#!/bin/bash

if [ "$1" == "personal" ]; then
    git config user.name "Your Personal Name"
    git config user.email "your_personal_email@example.com"
    git config core.sshCommand "ssh -i ~/.ssh/id_ed25519_personal -F ~/.ssh/config_personal"
    echo "Switched to PERSONAL GitHub account."
elif [ "$1" == "work" ]; then
    git config user.name "Your Work Name"
    git config user.email "your_work_email@example.com"
    git config core.sshCommand "ssh -i ~/.ssh/id_ed25519_work -F ~/.ssh/config"
    echo "Switched to WORK GitHub account."
else
    echo "Usage: switch-github [personal|work]"
fi

Make it executable:

chmod +x ~/.ssh/switch-github.sh

Move it to /usr/local/bin for convenience:

sudo mv ~/.ssh/switch-github.sh /usr/local/bin/switch-github

Now you can switch accounts per repo:

switch-github personal
switch-github work

Note: You need to run the switch command for one time in each repository where you want to change the account. Because we did not use --global value.

6. Testing the Setup

Check which account SSH is using:

ssh -T git@github.com
ssh -T git@github-personal # if using alias
  • If successful, GitHub will greet you by your username:
    Hi workuser! You've successfully authenticated... Hi personaluser! You've successfully authenticated...

Check your current Git identity:

git config user.name
git config user.email
git config core.sshCommand

List loaded keys:

ssh-add -l

Sample output:

$ ssh-add -l
256 SHA256:aedewfweqdwedw your_personal_email@example.com (ED25519)
256 SHA256:dsdfdffefeerer your_work_email@example.com (ED25519)

If you see only one key, re-add the missing one with ssh-add:

ssh-add -D   # remove all keys
ssh-add ~/.ssh/id_ed25519_personal
ssh-add ~/.ssh/id_ed25519_work

7. Common Issues

  • 403 error on push → Your remote is HTTPS. Switch it to SSH:
    git remote set-url origin git@github.com:username/repo.git

  • Wrong account used → Ensure the correct key is added with ssh-add -l, or run the switch script again.

✅ With this setup, you can use two GitHub accounts on the same Mac and easily switch between them with SSH keys.