You should receive a message that tells you which Git version you have on your computer. If you don’t receive a "Git version" message, it means that you need to [download Git](https://git-scm.com/book/en/v2/Getting-Started-Installing-Git).
If Git doesn't automatically download, there's an option on the website to [download manually](https://git-scm.com/downloads). Then follow the steps on the installation window.
You'll need to do this only once, since you are using the `--global` option. It tells Git to always use this information for anything you do on that system. If you want to override this with a different username or email address for specific projects, you can run the command without the `--global` option when you’re in that project.
## Initialize a local directory for Git version control
If you have an existing local directory that you want to *initialize* for version control, use the `init` command to instruct Git to begin tracking the directory:
```bash
git init
```
This creates a `.git` directory that contains the Git configuration files.
Once the directory has been initialized, you can [add a remote repository](#add-a-remote-repository) and [send changes to GitLab.com](#send-changes-to-gitlabcom). View the instructions on [Create a project](../gitlab-basics/create-project.html#push-to-create-a-new-project) to create a new project on GitLab with your changes.
This is for you to work on an up-to-date copy (it is important to do this every time you start working on a project), while you set up tracking branches. You pull from remote repositories to get all the changes made by users since the last time you cloned or pulled the project. Later, you can push your local commits to the remote repositories.
When you first clone a repository, REMOTE is typically "origin". This is where the repository came from, and it indicates the SSH or HTTPS URL of the repository on the remote server. NAME-OF-BRANCH is usually "master", but it may be any existing branch.
It's important to be aware of what's happening and the status of your changes. When you add, change, or delete files/folders, Git knows about it. To check the status of your changes:
To view the differences between your local, unstaged changes and the repository versions that you cloned or pulled, type:
```bash
git diff
```
### Add and commit local changes
You'll see your local changes in red when you type `git status`. These changes may be new, modified, or deleted files/folders. Use `git add` to stage a local file/folder for committing. Then use `git commit` to commit the staged files:
```bash
git add FILE OR FOLDER
git commit -m "COMMENT TO DESCRIBE THE INTENTION OF THE COMMIT"
### Unstage all changes that have been added to the staging area
To undo the most recent add, but not committed, files/folders:
```bash
git reset .
```
### Undo most recent commit
To undo the most recent commit, type:
```bash
git reset HEAD~1
```
This leaves the files and folders unstaged in your local repository.
CAUTION: **Warning:**
A Git commit is mostly irreversible, particularly if you already pushed it to the remote repository. Although you can undo a commit, the best option is to avoid the situation altogether.
