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---
stage: Create
group: Source Code
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info: "To determine the technical writer assigned to the Stage/Group associated with this page, see https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/engineering/ux/technical-writing/#assignments"
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type: reference
---
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# Git Attributes **(FREE)**
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GitLab supports defining custom [Git attributes ](https://git-scm.com/docs/gitattributes ) such as what
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files to treat as binary, and what language to use for syntax highlighting
diffs.
To define these attributes, create a file called `.gitattributes` in the root
directory of your repository and push it to the default branch of your project.
## Encoding Requirements
The `.gitattributes` file _must_ be encoded in UTF-8 and _must not_ contain a
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Byte Order Mark. If a different encoding is used, the file's contents are
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ignored.
## Syntax Highlighting
The `.gitattributes` file can be used to define which language to use when
syntax highlighting files and diffs. See ["Syntax
Highlighting"](highlighting.md) for more information.
