If you manage both personal and work GitHub accounts, you’ve likely faced problems like:

- Commits showing the wrong email

- Push denied errors

- Accidentally pushing work code with personal account

- Logging in and out repeatedly

This guide shows a professional-grade setup using SSH keys and Git’s conditional configuration.

By the end, you’ll have:

- Multiple GitHub accounts on one machine

- Separate SSH keys per account

- Automatic identity switching by folder

- Clean and reliable Git workflow

Why SSH Instead of HTTPS?

SSH allows:

- No password prompts

- Multiple accounts simultaneously

- Fine-grained control over identity

- Secure long-term setup

Step 1: Create SSH Keys for Each Account

Create one key per account.

Personal account

Save as:

Work account

Save as:

Step 2: Add Keys to GitHub

Copy the public key:

Go to:

GitHub → Settings → SSH & GPG keys → New SSH Key → Paste

Repeat for work key:

Step 3: Configure SSH Aliases

Edit SSH config:

Add:

Test:

You should see:

> Hi username! You've successfully authenticated...

Step 4: Use Correct Remote URLs

GitHub gives:

Change to:

Personal:

Work:

Example:

Step 5: Auto-Switch Identity by Folder (Pro Setup)

This is the real power feature.

Edit global git config:

Add:

Step 6: Create Identity Config Files

Work identity

Personal identity

Step 7: Verify Everything

Inside work repo:

Should show:

- work email

- id_rsa_work

Inside personal repo:

Should show personal email.

Common Windows Issue (and Fix)

Sometimes Git still uses the wrong key.

Check:

If wrong:

Then retry push.

Debug Commands (Very Useful)

These reveal exactly which key and identity is being used.

Final Result

After this setup:

- You never manually switch accounts

- Git auto-detects identity by folder

- SSH always uses correct key

- VS Code works automatically

- No more permission denied surprises

This is the same setup used by:

- Freelancers managing multiple clients

- Engineers working across organizations

- Developers contributing to open-source + company projects

- People maintaining strict identity separation

Pro Tip

Structure your machine like:

Then Git becomes fully automatic.

Conclusion

Once configured, this setup becomes invisible and frictionless.

You stop thinking about GitHub accounts entirely — everything just works.

If you manage multiple identities, this is one of the highest ROI setups you can make.