How to Push an IntelliJ IDEA Project to a New Azure DevOps Git Repository

1. Purpose

This procedure explains how to upload an existing IntelliJ IDEA project to a newly created, empty Azure DevOps Git repository using the IntelliJ Terminal and Git commands.

Example configuration:

Replace these values with your own when applying the procedure to another project.

2. Prerequisites

Before proceeding, ensure that:

1. IntelliJ IDEA is installed and your project opens successfully.
2. Git for Windows is installed and configured in IntelliJ IDEA.
3. You can sign in to your Azure DevOps organization.
4. You have permission to push code to the destination Azure DevOps repository.
5. You have created an empty Git repository in Azure DevOps, preferably without initializing it with a README or other files.

Important: The instructions below assume you want to publish the current IntelliJ project as the initial version of a new repository. If your local project is already connected to a Git repository whose history you want to preserve, do not delete its .git directory.

3. Create an Empty Repository in Azure DevOps

1. Open Azure DevOps and sign in.
2. Select your organization.
3. Create or open the Azure DevOps project where the repository will reside.
4. Select Repos → Files.
5. From the repository dropdown, select New repository.
6. Enter the repository name, for example ABC_Login.
7. Select Git as the repository type.
8. Leave the README initialization option unchecked, if offered, so the repository is empty.
9. Click Create.

The new repository should display a message similar to:

ABC_Login is empty. Add some code!

Copy the HTTPS clone URL from the Azure DevOps repository page.

For this example, the URL copied from Azure DevOps is:

https://carolineshewchuk0317@dev.azure.com/carolineshewchuk0317/ABC_Login/_git/ABC_Login

The username prefix before @dev.azure.com is optional. The equivalent repository URL without it is:

https://dev.azure.com/carolineshewchuk0317/ABC_Login/_git/ABC_Login

Both URLs refer to the same Git repository.

4. Open the IntelliJ Terminal

1. Open the ABC_Login project in IntelliJ IDEA.
2. Select View → Tool Windows → Terminal.
3. Verify that the Terminal is using the project’s root directory.

For this example, the PowerShell prompt should be:

PS C:\Users\User\IdeaProjects\ABC_Login>

Enter:

pwd

Expected result:

Path
----
C:\Users\User\IdeaProjects\ABC_Login

If the Terminal is in a different directory, enter:

cd C:\Users\User\IdeaProjects\ABC_Login

5. Check for an Existing Git Repository

Enter:

Test-Path .git

Expected result:

• False — No Git repository currently exists in the project directory.
• True — The directory already contains Git repository metadata.

If the result is False, proceed to Step 6.

If the result is True, determine whether the existing Git history should be retained.

Optional — Delete existing Git history only when intentionally starting over:

Remove-Item -Recurse -Force .git

This deletes the local Git metadata, including commit history, branch references, and repository configuration. It does not delete the IntelliJ project’s working files. However, local history and unpushed commits may become unrecoverable.

Verify:

Test-Path .git

Expected result:

False

Do not run this deletion command routinely. If the existing repository history needs to be preserved, keep .git and configure the remote instead.

6. Initialize the Local Git Repository

If the project does not already have a Git repository, enter:

git init

Create or rename the current branch to main:

git branch -M main

Verify the status:

git status --short

Files not yet tracked by Git will normally appear with ?? beside their filenames or directories.

7. Add the IntelliJ Project Files

Before staging files, verify that the project contains an appropriate .gitignore file.

The .gitignore should exclude unnecessary local files, temporary build files, and sensitive information, such as passwords, tokens, and private keys.

Once verified, stage the project files:

git add .

Check the status:

git status

Expected result:

Changes to be committed:
    new file:   ...
    new file:   ...

This confirms that project files have been staged for the initial Git commit.

8. Commit the IntelliJ Project Files

Enter:

git commit -m "Initial ABC_Login project"

This creates the first local Git commit containing the staged project files.

Verify:

git status

If everything was committed successfully, Git should indicate that the working tree is clean.

9. Connect the IntelliJ Project to Azure DevOps

Use the HTTPS URL copied directly from the destination Azure DevOps repository.

For the ABC_Login example:

git remote add origin https://carolineshewchuk0317@dev.azure.com/carolineshewchuk0317/ABC_Login/_git/ABC_Login

Verify the remote configuration:

git remote -v

Expected result:

origin  https://carolineshewchuk0317@dev.azure.com/carolineshewchuk0317/ABC_Login/_git/ABC_Login (fetch)
origin  https://carolineshewchuk0317@dev.azure.com/carolineshewchuk0317/ABC_Login/_git/ABC_Login (push)

Important: If origin already exists, do not use git remote add origin again.

Instead, update the existing remote:

git remote set-url origin https://carolineshewchuk0317@dev.azure.com/carolineshewchuk0317/ABC_Login/_git/ABC_Login

Run git remote -v again to confirm the correction.

10. Configure Git Credential Manager for Azure DevOps Authentication

Git Credential Manager allows Git to authenticate with Azure DevOps using your Microsoft account.

First, verify that Git Credential Manager is installed:

git credential-manager --version

If installed correctly, the command displays a version number.

Configure Git to use Git Credential Manager:

git config --global credential.helper manager

Configure Azure Repos authentication to use OAuth:

git config --global credential.azreposCredentialType oauth

These global configuration commands generally need to be performed only once for your Windows user profile, not for every IntelliJ project.

Important: Git Credential Manager should be installed before executing these configuration steps. A current Git for Windows installation commonly includes it.

11. Push the IntelliJ Project to Azure DevOps

Enter:

git push -u origin main

If a Microsoft sign-in window appears:

1. Sign in with the Microsoft account that has access to the Azure DevOps organization.
2. Complete any required verification.
3. Allow authentication to complete.

Git should then upload the local commits to the remote Azure DevOps repository.

Example successful output:

[new branch]      main -> main
branch 'main' set up to track 'origin/main'.

The -u option establishes the upstream tracking relationship between the local main branch and the Azure DevOps main branch.

For subsequent pushes, you can normally use:

git push

12. Verify the IntelliJ Project in Azure DevOps

1. Open Azure DevOps in Chrome.
2. Navigate to the correct organization and project.
3. Select Repos → Files.
4. Select the ABC_Login repository.
5. Confirm that the IntelliJ project files are displayed.
6. Select Commits and verify that the initial commit is present.

You can also open the repository directly using:

https://dev.azure.com/carolineshewchuk0317/ABC_Login/_git/ABC_Login

This URL should display the Azure DevOps repository page when accessed with an authorized account.

13. Common Errors and Solutions

Error A: Authentication failed

Example:

fatal: Authentication failed for 'https://dev.azure.com/...'

Possible causes:

• Git Credential Manager is not installed or configured correctly.
• Git has stored outdated authentication credentials.
• The Microsoft account does not have access to the repository.
• The repository URL points to a different organization or project.

Suggested solution:

Verify the repository URL and execute:

git credential-manager --version
git config --global credential.helper manager
git config --global credential.azreposCredentialType oauth

Then retry:

git push -u origin main

If authentication still fails, inspect Windows Credential Manager → Windows Credentials for outdated Azure DevOps credentials. Remove only the relevant stale credentials and try again.

Error B: Remote origin already exists

Example:

error: remote origin already exists.

Solution:

git remote set-url origin https://carolineshewchuk0317@dev.azure.com/carolineshewchuk0317/ABC_Login/_git/ABC_Login

Verify:

git remote -v

Error C: Push rejected — fetch first

Example:

! [rejected] main -> main (fetch first)
error: failed to push some refs

Possible cause:

The remote Git branch already contains commits that are not in your local branch.

Solution:

First verify the correct repository is configured:

git remote -v

Then check the remote branches:

git ls-remote --heads origin

If the remote contains commits, examine its history before deciding whether to fetch and merge or rebase.

Do not force-push or delete remote history without first confirming that those changes can safely be replaced.

Error D: Repository not found

Possible causes:

• Incorrect organization, project, or repository name.
• Missing repository permissions.
• Authentication to the wrong Azure DevOps account.

Solution:

Return to Azure DevOps, open Repos → Files, copy the HTTPS clone URL, and update origin using git remote set-url.

14. Quick Reference — Git Commands

For a new local project with no existing .git directory, an empty Azure DevOps repository, and Git Credential Manager already configured:

# Navigate to the IntelliJ project
cd C:\Users\User\IdeaProjects\ABC_Login

# Initialize Git
git init

# Set the main branch
git branch -M main

# Verify project status
git status --short

# Add project files after checking .gitignore
git add .

# Verify staged files
git status

# Commit project files
git commit -m "Initial ABC_Login project"

# Connect to Azure DevOps
git remote add origin https://carolineshewchuk0317@dev.azure.com/carolineshewchuk0317/ABC_Login/_git/ABC_Login

# Verify remote
git remote -v

# Push to Azure DevOps
git push -u origin main

Result: The IntelliJ IDEA project files and initial Git commit are uploaded to the Azure DevOps repository, and the local main branch is configured to track origin/main.