How do I run msysgit in cmder?

Question

I was using msysgit and git-bash in cmder when I accidentally exited out of it.
Now I can't seem to figure out how to get to the unix environment I previously had.

Git bash is not recognized as a command.
All I see is the typical command window prompt displaying the C:/User/.. rather than the $~User.

How would you restore the git bash session?

Answer 1

An easy way to get this working is to define a custom "bash" task in Cmder, and then configure it to use this task by default.

• Install cmder_mini (msysgit is already installed, so no need for full version)
• In Cmder, open settings: Win + Alt + P
• Under Startup > Tasks, add a task called {bash} with the following settings:
  • Task parameters - set the icon:
    • Either /icon "%CMDER_ROOT%\cmder.exe" (for Cmder icon) or /icon "C:\Program Files (x86)\Git\etc\git.ico" (for Git icon)
  • Commands - open Git's bash shell:
    • "C:\Program Files (x86)\Git\bin\sh.exe" -l -new_console:d:%USERPROFILE%
• Under Startup, set startup options to Specified name task --> {bash}

...this will set Git bash as the default console in Cmder.

nb. The above obviously assumes that Git is installed in "C:\Program Files (x86)\Git" - if that's not the case, you'll need to change the path to point to wherever Git is installed.

Answer 2

You can type the full path of your msysgit intallation (2014, Git 1.9.z) to launch a bash session.

For instance:

• "c:\prgs\git\PortableGit-1.9.0-preview20140217\Git Bash.vbs": will open a new windows
• "c:\prgs\git\PortableGit-1.9.0-preview20140217\git-bash.bat": will open a bash session within the current shell.

Those two scripts aren't part of <msysgit/bin> folder, and are not found in %PATH%.

As commented by David Grayson and pred below in the comments, using Git-1.9.5-preview20141217.exe does result in an installation (in C:\Program File) which does not have git-bash.bat, and which rely on "Git Bash" shortcut calling C:\Git\bin\sh.exe --login -i.

Don't use that setup. Use the much easier and more complete package PortableGit-1.9.5-preview20141217.7z that you unzip anywhere you want and that you add to your PATH.

---

Note: with the new Git for Windows releases (2015, Git 2.y.z), that would be:

• "c:\prgs\git\PortableGit-2.3.5.8-dev-preview-64-bit\git-bash.exe": will open a bash session within the current shell.

Answer 3

Run the following command in cmder:

sh -l

This assumes that Git's "sh" is on your PATH. But if you installed git differently and sh is not found, then try entering the full path to it, for example:

"C:\Program Files (x86)\Git\bin\sh.exe" -l

If you want to automate this so you don't have to run sh explicitly, then go into cmder/ConEmu's settings and change the {cmd} task to have the command sh -l and the parameters /dir "%HOME%". Then cmder will always start up Git Bash by default, instead of Microsoft's cmd shell.