Remove contributors from the contributors list?

[zielony12]

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My friend was in my repo but now he isnt, there is no even his code anymore (overwritten by git commit -f) and he is not a collabolator. How do i remove him from the contributors list?

[enviGit]

Hello zielony12!

If your friend is no longer a collaborator on your GitHub repository and their code has been removed, they should no longer appear on the contributors list. However, if you are still seeing their name in the contributors list, it's possible that their contributions are cached by GitHub and will be removed over time.

If you want to remove a specific contributor from the contributors list immediately, you can do so by manually editing the repository's Git history. Here are the general steps to follow:

• Clone your repository to your local machine using git clone.
• Use the git log command to identify the commits made by the contributor you want to remove. You can search for commits by author using the --author flag, like this:
  git log --author="username"
• Once you have identified the commits made by the contributor, use the git rebase command to modify the Git history and remove their contributions. The exact commands will depend on the specific commits you want to remove, but here is an example:
  git rebase -i <commit hash>
  Replace <commit hash> with the hash of the commit immediately before the first commit made by the contributor you want to remove. This will open an interactive Git rebase editor.
• In the Git rebase editor, delete the lines corresponding to the commits made by the contributor you want to remove. Save and close the editor.
• Use the git push --force command to push the modified Git history back to your repository on GitHub.

Note that modifying the Git history of a repository can be a complex and potentially risky operation. Make sure you have a backup of your repository before attempting these steps. Good luck!

[akileswarpaidi]

there are no commits under contributor's name anymore, all rebased, yet it still appears in the list of contributors, any way to force refresh that or delete it from the list or just delete the list?

edit: this solved it and removed it from the list: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/44563131/removing-contributor-from-github.zerozr99.workers.dev

Hai @dredshep

I also facing same issue,like

In git log - there are no commits of X person : But still his name is in contributors list , I want to remove the name of that X person from my repo ! Any quick suggestions will be more helpful!!

Hoping a fast reply

Regards
Akileswar

[VerzatileDev]

there are no commits under contributor's name anymore, all rebased, yet it still appears in the list of contributors, any way to force refresh that or delete it from the list or just delete the list?
edit: this solved it and removed it from the list: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/44563131/removing-contributor-from-github.zerozr99.workers.dev

Hai @dredshep

I also facing same issue,like

In git log - there are no commits of X person : But still his name is in contributors list , I want to remove the name of that X person from my repo ! Any quick suggestions will be more helpful!!

Hoping a fast reply

Regards Akileswar

I removed the commits of the person I wanted to remove on " Master Branch " - aka " Main " Branch, and then pushed those changes directly there. After the person is no longer in commits history you can move to the next step.

Next step:

• First go to the repository " Settings "
• Then in settings look for " Collaborators " and remove the person you wanted to get rid of from there.
• After you have removed them return back to the repository page and locate where you " main " branch is and click on it
• A new panel pops out and you will see all the branches listed there, click on " View all Branches "
• Next to main or master Branch there should be " ... " three dots click on that and select rename Branch.
• Rename your " Main " or " Master " to" Main1 " or "Master1" click save and get those changes applied.
• Now it will tell you that there is no default branch selected, ignore it for now and rename your Branch back to " main " or " master "
• And then go to " Settings " - " general " - and there you have to find " default Branch " add your name or select it there if not selected yet.
• That worked for me.

For reference I followed this "

[denlove]

@VerzatileDev @dredshep
Thank you guys. It's an amazing answer! I gotcha. So, it works! I did it! Thanks a lot! My respects!

[adhadse]

This is actually the correct answer.

[calzateu]

This is what I needed 🙌

[Ntshangase]

Hello, check this documentation out: https://docs.github.com/en/account-and-profile/setting-up-and-managing-your-personal-account-on-github/managing-access-to-your-personal-repositories/removing-a-collaborator-from-a-personal-repository#removing-collaborator-permissions-from-a-person-contributing-to-a-repository

If you found this resource as helpful "mark as answer"

[Typhon0130]

contributors and collaborators is totally different. :)

[kaseen]

In my case, I pushed a commit with a different account, removed that commit, but the other account remained in the contributors list on GitHub, despite having 0 commits in the project history. Switching the GitHub repo from 'public to private' and then back to 'public' was the only solution that worked for me as of November 2023.

[stopkite]

Thanks. I will try that solution.

[XargonWan]

Not working for me

[stopkite]

@XargonWan Me too....🥹😂

[hemantshelar]

Didn't work for me either

[alpersarac]

To remove a contributor from the contributors list on GitHub:

Go to your repository.
Click on "Settings."
Navigate to "Manage access."
Find the contributor, click the gear icon, and select "Remove."
Confirm the removal.

[candle-lee]

I can't find manage access

[HChenX]

Restoring the default branch name after changing it, while ensuring no other contributors have made commits to the branch, is valid.
Update: 2024/11/12

[Noerigarnhy]

Didn't work for me, 1/09/2024

[ahmedjoubest]

It works in 19 Nov 2024. I just had to wait few propagation minutes.

[Ader-EX]

still worked 16/04/2025

[leocavalcante]

Renaming the branch is still working in 2 Jun 25. Thanks!

[vejendla-kiran]

This is not working any more

[Akbar-Khaydarkhujayev]

If that contributor do not have commits ( or you will need to change commit author )

Then clone repository locally, delete repository using web, create new one and make push from local repository.

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[SheepChef]

Perfect Method I Found

All the answers before is telling you to rewrite the commit history, and change the branch name back and forth.

However, there is a much easy solution for this, You WON'T need to rewrite anything in your repo.

---

Just go to Account Settings of your GitHub account, and block the account you want.

You can unblock the account later.

At the moment you will still see the contributor showing on the list, but the number of contributors will be reduced by one.

After a few hours or a day, you will see that the contributor is no longer showing in the list.

---

Side-effect: The account you block will be disappeared from all the repo owned by you.

[dirien]

@SheepChef that helped a lot!

[SheepChef]

You are welcome.

I was just randomly trying and somehow found this method.

[patrykwiener]

Works like a charm ❤️ !