Resolving Git Authentication Failures on Windows Using Credential Manager and SSH Keys

Method 1 – Force Git Credential Manager for Windows to use Basic authentication

Install the latest Git for Windows (v2.15+), ensure .NET Framework 4.5.1 or higher, and during installation enable the Credential Manager option.

After installation, configure the manager with the following commands:

git config --global credential.helper manager
git config --global credential.modalprompt true
git config --global credential.{your_TFS_server_address}.authority Basic

When you clone a repository for the first time, Windows will prompt for your username and password; successful authentication stores the credentials in the Windows Credential Manager, either as a standard credential or as a Personal Access Token (PAT) for VSTS.

How Git Credential Manager works

The manager first attempts to use the current Windows logon account to access the remote TFS server; if the machine is in the same AD domain and the account has permission, authentication succeeds automatically. If not, it falls back to a login dialog, and when the server only accepts NTLM, authentication fails unless Basic authentication is forced.

Method 2 – Use SSH key authentication

Generate an SSH key pair on Windows using the cmder terminal: ssh-keygen -C "key comment" The key pair (public and private files) is saved in C:\users\{current_user}\.ssh. Copy the contents of the .pub file to the SSH key list on the VSTS/TFS server so the server can recognize the key.

Obtain the repository’s SSH URL from the server UI and clone it with: git clone {ssh_url} If you are using a self‑hosted TFS server, ensure that port 22 is open.

Summary

Both approaches enable Windows developers to connect reliably to remote Git repositories by either forcing Basic authentication through the Credential Manager or by using SSH key‑based authentication.