How to create GitHub code permalinks

What this covers

Creating a permanent link to a code snippet is a browser UI flow: select lines, copy the permalink, paste into a comment. Whole-file permanlinks are separate: Getting permanent links to files.

flowchart TD
    Navigate["Navigate to file in repository"] --> Select["Click line number or range"]
    Select --> Key["Press 'y' hotkey or click '...' menu"]
    Key --> Permalink["URL changes to permanent commit SHA link"]
    Permalink --> Embed["Paste into Issue/PR to render code snippet embed"]

Link to code (UI)

1. On GitHub, open the repository.
2. Find the code:
   • From a file, navigate to that file.
   • From a pull request, open Files changed, find the file, click View.
3. Select lines:
   • Single line: click the line number to highlight it.
   • Range: click the first line number, then hold Shift and click the last line number.
4. To the left of the selection, open the overflow / … menu and click Copy permalink.
5. Open the conversation (issue, PR review comment, or discussion) where you want the snippet.
6. Paste the permalink into the comment and click Comment.

Where the snippet renders

Link to lines in a Markdown file

Rendered Markdown hides line numbers. Load the file without Markdown rendering by appending ?plain=1 to the blob URL, then add #L plus the line (or range) the same way you would for code.

Example pattern:

https://github.com/OWNER/REPO/blob//README.md?plain=1#L14

That highlights line 14 in the plain README.md view.

Why permalinks matter

A normal blob URL on a branch tip moves when the file changes. A permalink includes a commit SHA, so review comments and issue citations keep pointing at the exact lines you meant. Prefer permalinks when you are citing code in a review or bug report.

Further reading

• Creating an issue
• Review pull requests