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Windows + PowerShell quick SSH key add to VPS

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For Windows + PowerShell when you already have an SSH key and just want to add it to your VPS fast.

Method A — One-liner push from Windows (fastest)

Prereq: You can still log in to the VPS with a password.

Replace user@YOUR_VPS_IP with your actual user and IP/domain. If you use root, use root@IP. If your public key file isn’t the default, change id_ed25519.pub to your actual .pub path.

# Default public key path: C:\Users\<you>\.ssh\id_ed25519.pub
type $env:USERPROFILE\.ssh\id_ed25519.pub | ssh user@YOUR_VPS_IP "mkdir -p ~/.ssh && chmod 700 ~/.ssh && cat >> ~/.ssh/authorized_keys && chmod 600 ~/.ssh/authorized_keys"

Non-default SSH port (example 2222):

type $env:USERPROFILE\.ssh\id_ed25519.pub | ssh -p 2222 user@YOUR_VPS_IP "mkdir -p ~/.ssh && chmod 700 ~/.ssh && cat >> ~/.ssh/authorized_keys && chmod 600 ~/.ssh/authorized_keys"

Test login:

ssh user@YOUR_VPS_IP
# If you’re not using the default private key filename, specify it:
# ssh -i $env:USERPROFILE\.ssh\id_ed25519 user@YOUR_VPS_IP

Method B — Append key while you’re already on the VPS

If you’re already in a shell on the VPS (via password or provider console), run on the VPS:

mkdir -p ~/.ssh && chmod 700 ~/.ssh
echo "ssh-ed25519 AAAA... your_email_or_comment" >> ~/.ssh/authorized_keys
chmod 600 ~/.ssh/authorized_keys

Get your key content on Windows to paste:

type $env:USERPROFILE\.ssh\id_ed25519.pub

Optional: make connections easier (SSH config on Windows)

Create or edit:

notepad $env:USERPROFILE\.ssh\config

Add:

Host my-vps
  HostName <your-ip-address>
  User root
  IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_ed25519
  # Port 22

Then connect with:

ssh my-vps

Quick fixes & gotchas

  • Permissions on VPS must be exact:
    ~/.ssh → 700, ~/.ssh/authorized_keys → 600.
  • SELinux (RHEL/CentOS/Fedora):
    restorecon -Rv ~/.ssh
  • Password login disabled?
    Use the cloud provider console (VNC/rescue), then use Method B to paste your public key.
  • Multiple users: Put the key in the user’s home you’ll SSH into (e.g., /root/.ssh/authorized_keys for root).

If you share your actual user, IP/port, and key filename, I can give you a single copy-paste command tailored to your box.