Edit Commit Message failed with command not found

Problem

When attempting to edit a commit message in the IDE, an error message appears stating:

C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\JetBrains\IntelliJIdea2025.1\tmp\intellij-git-editor-local.sh: command not found

A similar issue occurs on the console when running: git rebase -i

Cause

The error occurs because Windows doesn’t recognize .sh scripts natively as executable commands, given that such scripts are intended for Unix-like environments. Although the script file exists at the specified location, the Windows shell does not execute it due to system constraints.

Resolution

Git executable from Cygwin was used:

C:\cygwin64\bin>git -v
git version 2.45.1

Change the path in the IDE (Settings (⌘ + , or Ctrl + Alt + S) > Version Control > Git > Path to Git executable) to the relevant git installation for Windows (e.g. git version 2.47.1.windows.2).

C:\>where git.exe
C:\Program Files\Git\cmd\git.exe