git permission denied 403 github push
01:59 14 Mar 2026

Title:
Git push returning 403 permission denied when pushing to GitHub repository

Description:
I am trying to push a local Git repository to GitHub from my macOS terminal. When I run the push command, Git asks for authentication and then returns a permission error.

The command I run:

git push origin main

After entering authentication details, I receive the following error:

remote: Permission to repository denied.
fatal: unable to access 'https://github.com/.../git-learning.git/': The requested URL returned error: 403

Environment

  • macOS (MacBook Air)

  • Git installed locally

  • Repository already created on GitHub

Things I have already tried

  • Verified that the repository exists on GitHub

  • Checked the remote URL using:

git remote -v

  • Generated a Personal Access Token and used it for authentication

  • Tried pushing again using:

git push -u origin main

However, the same 403 permission denied error keeps appearing.

Question

What could be causing this 403 permission denied error when pushing to a GitHub repository, and how can I fix it?

git github