How to Add a README To Your GitHub Profile
Last Updated : 15 Apr, 2025
Creating a README for your GitHub profile is an excellent way to showcase your projects, skills, and personality to potential employers, collaborators, and the open-source community. A well-crafted README can make your profile stand out and provide valuable information at a glance.
In this guide, we'll walk you through the process of adding a README to your GitHub profile.
What is a GitHub Profile README?
A GitHub Profile README is a special markdown file that you can add to your GitHub profile to give visitors an overview of who you are and what you do. It appears prominently at the top of your profile page and can include information such as your bio, projects, skills, contact information, and more.
Why Add a README to Your GitHub Profile?
- Showcase Your Skills: Highlight your key skills, programming languages, and technologies you are proficient in.
- Highlight Your Projects: Display your top projects, providing links and brief descriptions.
- Professional Branding: Create a professional online presence that can attract potential employers or collaborators.
- Personal Touch: Add a personal touch to your profile, making it more engaging and relatable.
Step-by-Step Guide to Adding a README to Your GitHub Profile
Step 1: Create a New Repository
- Log in to GitHub: Go to GitHub.com and log in to your account.
- Leave the repo as a Public repo (by default).
- Also, make sure to initialize it with a README to get started.
Step 2: Add some content to your README.
- You can list all your projects, websites, social media links, and many more things to it.
- You can use markdown formatting (https://guides.github.com/features/mastering-markdown/ ) to style the text or add images/links.
- GitHub also gives some suggestions to get started:
Step 3: Commit Your Changes
Commit the changes to add a ReadMe to your GitHub Account.
Adding other interesting stuff to you README!
You can even add Github Readme Stats, Github Extra Pins, and GitHub Profile View Counter in your README.
Adding Github Stats Card
Github readme stats allows you to simply add a markdown image link and it will show you realtime stats for your GitHub account.
Usage:
Copy and paste this line into your markdown content and change the '?username= value' to your GitHubs's username
Preview:
Adding Github Extra Pins
Github extra pins allow you to pin more than 6 repositories in your profile by using the GitHub readme profile.
Usage:
Copy-paste this code into your readme and change the username and repo.
Preview:
Adding GitHub Profile View Counter
You can track Github profile views and display them in your profile readme.
Usage:
Preview:
Your profile views will be counted and displayed:
Finally, commit all your changes and view your cool Github profile.