How to add license to an existing GitHub project

103,960

Solution 1

  1. Go to your repository
  2. Add a new file by clicking the blue plus icon
  3. Type the file name as License.txt or License.md after which a license picker will show up. Then you can choose the type of license.

Solution 2

  1. In your repository, click 'Create new file'

step 0


2. a) Type 'LICENSE', 'LICENSE.md' or 'LICENSE.txt' as the new file's file name. b) The 'Want to use a new template?' dialog will appear.

step 1


  1. Choose your preferred license.

step 2

The accepted answer is almost there, but confused me, because it said 'click the blue plus' - the interface may have changed - and the image is the same as the OP's.

Solution 3

There is an easier way to get to the 'Add License' wizard:

  • Go to your repository's Insights tab
  • Click Community on the left side
  • On the right side, click Add on the line wich says License

add license to github repository

For some reason this is not even mentioned in the docs at github.

Solution 4

  1. Go to your repository
  2. Click on "Create new file" Button
  3. Type the file name as License.txt or License.md in the input box next to your repository name, a drop down button appears towards right side
  4. Choose the type of license of your choice
  5. Click "Commit new file" button at the bottom (Green button)

Solution 5

I just wanted to add another valid alternative using https://choosealicense.com made by Github and many more.

ChooseALicense.com aims to provide accurate, non-judgmental, and understandable information about popular open source licenses in order to help people make informed decisions about the projects they start, maintain, contribute to, and use.

After you have picked your license there are two alternative ways to transfer your new license.

  1. Copy to clipboard: Click button Copy license text to clipboard and paste into your LICENSE file anywhere you want. How to add license into Github is answered by others.
  2. Github: Fill textfield Enter GitHub repository url and hit Enter (Bellow the button). You will be asked for permission to access your Github repository.

Note!

Create a text file (typically named LICENSE or LICENSE.txt) in the root of your source code and copy the text of the license into the file. Replace [year] with the current year and [fullname] with the name (or names) of the copyright holders

Example https://choosealicense.com/

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King
Author by

King

Updated on October 15, 2021

Comments

  • King
    King over 2 years

    When I created a GitHub project I chose None.

    How can I now add a GPL license to my already added project?

    screenshot

  • Dan Dascalescu
    Dan Dascalescu over 7 years
    As a bonus, the license will now be displayed in the upper right part of the page, after the number of contributors.
  • BrechtDeMan
    BrechtDeMan over 7 years
    So it is! Good feature. Probably not on-topic enough to include in my answer, but thanks for highlighting it.
  • vog
    vog almost 6 years
    Note that the most common file name is simply LICENSE, while LICENSE.txt and LICENSE.md are less common file names.
  • Max
    Max over 5 years
    Very useful and much easier. Thanks so much.
  • Muhammad Tariq
    Muhammad Tariq about 3 years
    This is better and easier approach than other answers. Should have been marked as "Accepted" in my view.
  • zimdanen
    zimdanen almost 2 years
    This is now under Community Standards.