Events
Apr 29, 2 PM - Apr 30, 7 PM
Join the ultimate Windows Server virtual event April 29-30 for deep-dive technical sessions and live Q&A with Microsoft engineers.
Sign up nowThis browser is no longer supported.
Upgrade to Microsoft Edge to take advantage of the latest features, security updates, and technical support.
OpenSSH is the open-source version of the Secure Shell (SSH) tools used by administrators of Linux and other non-Windows for cross-platform management of remote systems. Beginning with Windows 10 build 1809 and Windows Server 2019, OpenSSH is available as a feature on demand.
SSH is based on a client-server architecture where the system the user is working on is the client and the remote system being managed is the server. OpenSSH includes a range of components and tools designed to provide a secure and straightforward approach to remote system administration.
The following table lists the default install state of OpenSSH for Windows on different Windows releases.
Windows release | SSH install state |
---|---|
Windows Server 2019 | Not installed, install and enable using optional features |
Windows Server 2022 | Not installed, install and enable using optional features |
Windows Server 2025 | Installed but not enabled |
Windows 10 build 1809 + | Not installed, install and enable using optional features |
OpenSSH for Windows has the following commands built in.
ssh
is the SSH client component that runs on the user's local systemsshd
is the SSH server component that must be running on the system being managed remotelyssh-keygen
generates, manages and converts authentication keys for SSHssh-agent
stores private keys used for public key authenticationssh-add
adds private keys to the list allowed by the serverssh-keyscan
aids in collecting the public SSH host keys from hostssftp
is the service that provides the Secure File Transfer Protocol, and runs over SSHscp
is a file copy utility that runs on SSHTip
The documentation focuses on how OpenSSH is used on Windows, including installation, and Windows-specific configuration, commands, and use cases. Additional detailed documentation for common OpenSSH features is available online at OpenSSH.com.
Feedback on Windows OpenSSH is welcomed and can be provided by creating GitHub issues in our OpenSSH GitHub repo. The OpenSSH open source project is managed by developers at the OpenBSD Project. The Microsoft fork of this project is in GitHub.
Events
Apr 29, 2 PM - Apr 30, 7 PM
Join the ultimate Windows Server virtual event April 29-30 for deep-dive technical sessions and live Q&A with Microsoft engineers.
Sign up nowTraining
Module
Develop on a remote machine using SSH with Visual Studio Code - Training
In this module, you'll learn how to seamlessly develop on a remote machine using the Visual Studio Code Remote - SSH extension. We'll explore how to run and debug code located on a remote machine, while locally using Visual Studio Code's full feature set.
Certification
Microsoft Certified: Windows Server Hybrid Administrator Associate - Certifications
As a Windows Server hybrid administrator, you integrate Windows Server environments with Azure services and manage Windows Server in on-premises networks.