• Create a file
  • From a template
• Edit a file
  • Preview Markdown
  • Link to specific lines
• Upload a file
• Create a directory
• Create a branch
• Create a tag

Web Editor

You can use the Web Editor to make changes to a single file directly from the GitLab UI. To make changes to multiple files, see Web IDE.

Your primary email address is used by default for any change you commit with the Web Editor.

Create a file

To create a text file in the Web Editor:

1. On the left sidebar, select Search or go to and find your project.
2. Go to the directory where you want to create the new file.
3. Next to the directory name, select the plus icon () > New file.
4. Complete the fields.
   • To create a merge request with your changes, enter a branch name that’s not your repository’s default branch.
5. Select Commit changes.

From a template

To create a text file from a template in the Web Editor:

1. On the left sidebar, select Search or go to and find your project.
2. Go to the directory where you want to create the new file.
3. Next to the directory name, select the plus icon () > New file.
4. In Filename, enter a filename that GitLab provides a template for:
   • .gitignore
   • .gitlab-ci.yml
   • LICENSE
   • Dockerfile
5. From the Apply a template dropdown list, select a template.
6. Complete the fields.
   • To create a merge request with your changes, enter a branch name that’s not your repository’s default branch.
7. Select Commit changes.

Edit a file

To edit a text file in the Web Editor:

1. On the left sidebar, select Search or go to and find your project.
2. Go to the file you want to edit.
3. Select Edit > Edit single file.
4. Complete the fields.
   • To create a merge request with your changes, enter a branch name that’s not your repository’s default branch.
5. Select Commit changes.

Preview Markdown

To preview a Markdown file in the Web Editor:

1. On the left sidebar, select Search or go to and find your project.
2. Go to the file you want to preview.
3. Select Edit > Edit single file.
4. Select the Preview tab.

You can see a live Markdown preview alongside your content.

To close the preview panel, select the Write tab.

Link to specific lines

To link to single or multiple lines in the Web Editor, add hash information to the filename segment of the URL. For example:

• MY_FILE.js#L3 highlights line 3 in MY_FILE.js.
• MY_FILE.js#L3-10 highlights lines 3 to 10 in MY_FILE.js.

When you edit a file, you can also link to a single line by selecting a line number.

Upload a file

To upload a file in the Web Editor:

1. On the left sidebar, select Search or go to and find your project.
2. Go to the directory where you want to upload the file.
3. Next to the directory name, select the plus icon () > Upload file.
4. Complete the fields.
   • To create a merge request with your changes, enter a branch name that’s not your repository’s default branch.
5. Select Upload file.

Create a directory

To create a directory in the Web Editor:

1. On the left sidebar, select Search or go to and find your project.
2. Go to the directory where you want to create the new directory.
3. Next to the directory name, select the plus icon () > New directory.
4. Complete the fields.
   • To create a merge request with your changes, enter a branch name that’s not your repository’s default branch.
5. Select Create directory.

Create a branch

To create a branch in the Web Editor:

1. On the left sidebar, select Search or go to and find your project.
2. Next to the repository name, select the plus icon () > New branch.
3. Complete the fields.
4. Select Create branch.

Create a tag

You can create tags to mark milestones such as production releases and release candidates. To create a tag in the Web Editor:

1. On the left sidebar, select Search or go to and find your project.
2. Next to the repository name, select the plus icon () > New tag.
3. Complete the fields.
4. Select Create tag.