# How to Delete GitHub Credentials on Windows 10 & 11
If you’ve ever tried to push code to a personal repository on GitHub and been met with a `403` error, you’re not alone. The message typically looks something like this:
“`
fatal: unable to access ‘https://github.com/xxx/xxx.git/’: The requested URL returned error: 403
“`
This error is frustrating because it often appears even when your username and password seem correct. In most cases, the culprit is a stale or outdated credential cached somewhere in Windows. Git on Windows uses the **Git Credential Manager**, which stores authentication details in the operating system’s built-in Credential Manager. When that cached credential expires — for example, after you revoke a personal access token or change your GitHub password — Git keeps trying to use the old one, and GitHub rejects it with a `403`.
A lot of the advice online covers how to delete credentials on macOS or Linux, where you’d typically use the `git credential-osxkeychain` command or edit `~/.git-credentials`. Those steps don’t apply on Windows. This guide walks through the correct, Windows-specific method that works on both **Windows 10** and **Windows 11**.
## The Quick Fix: Clear Credentials via Windows Credential Manager
The fastest way to resolve a persistent `403` error is to delete the old GitHub credentials stored in Windows Credential Manager, then let Git prompt you for fresh authentication on your next push.
### Step 1: Open Credential Manager
1. Press **Win + R** on your keyboard to open the Run dialog.
2. Type the following command and press **Enter**:
“`
control keymgr.dll
“`
This launches the Windows Credential Manager directly. You can also reach it through the Control Panel (navigate to **User Accounts → Credential Manager**), but the Run command is quicker.
### Step 2: Switch to the Windows Credentials Tab
Once Credential Manager is open, you’ll see two tabs at the top:
– **Web Credentials**
– **Windows Credentials**
Click on **Windows Credentials**. This is where Git Credential Manager stores the authentication tokens it uses for services like GitHub.
### Step 3: Locate GitHub Entries
Scroll down to the **Generic Credentials** section. Look for any entries whose names contain **`github.com`** or **`git:https://github.com`**. Depending on your setup, you may find one or several of these entries — for example:
– `git:https://github.com`
– `github.com`
– `github.com/account`
Each of these represents a cached credential that Git may be using for authentication.
### Step 4: Delete the Stale Credentials
For every GitHub-related entry you find:
1. Click the entry to expand it.
2. Click **Remove** (or **Delete**, depending on your Windows version).
3. Confirm the deletion when prompted.
Make sure you clear **all** GitHub entries, not just the first one. Leaving a stale credential behind can cause the `403` error to persist.
### Step 5: Push Again
Open your terminal or Git Bash, navigate to your repository, and attempt your push again:
“`bash
git push origin main
“`
This time, Git Credential Manager should pop up a fresh authentication window. Sign in with your current credentials — ideally using a **personal access token (PAT)** or browser-based sign-in through GitHub. Once authenticated, the new credential is cached and subsequent pushes should work without interruption.
## Why Does This Happen?
GitHub changed its authentication policy in August 2021, deprecating password-based authentication for Git operations in favor of personal access tokens or SSH keys. If you recently:
– Rotated or revoked a personal access token
– Changed your GitHub password
– Reorganized repository permissions
– Enabled or updated two-factor authentication
…then the credential that Git cached previously is no longer valid. Git doesn’t always detect this automatically — it just keeps submitting the old token until GitHub returns a hard error. Deleting the cached entry forces Git to request a new one.
## Alternative Method: Use the Git Command Line
If you prefer to work from the terminal, you can also manage credentials through Git itself.
### Remove cached credentials for a specific URL
“`bash
git credential reject <
