If you don't find any existing SSH key, then you need to create a new SSH key. Generating New SSH Key. You can generate a new SSH key for authentication using the following command in Git Bash − $ ssh-keygen -t rsa -C '[email protected]' If you already have a SSH key, then don't a generate new key, as they will be overwritten. Just download and install openSSH for windows. It is open source, and it makes your cmd ssh ready. A quick google search will give you a tutorial on how to install it, should you need it. After it is installed you can just go ahead and generate your public key if you want to put in on a server. You generate it by running: ssh-keygen -t rsa.
You can generate an SSH key on Windows using the PuTTY SSH client. You can download PuTTY for free from this URL.
To generate a key with PuTTY, you should:
- Download and start the puttygen.exe generator.
- In the 'Parameters' section choose SSH2 DSA and press Generate.
- Move your mouse randomly in the small screen in order to generate the key pairs.
- Enter a key comment, which will identify the key (useful when you use several SSH keys).
- Type in the passphrase and confirm it. The passphrase is used to protect your key. You will be asked for it when you connect via SSH.
- Click 'Save private key' to save your private key.
- Click 'Save public key' to save your public key.
For more information on how to load the key and connect via SSH using PuTTY, please check this tutorial.
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How to generate an SSH key in Windows 10
To generate an SSH key in Windows 10:
- Ensure the Windows 10 OpenSSH client is installed.
- Run “ssh-keygen” in Command Prompt and follow the instructions to generate your key.
Applies to Windows 10 1803, and up
Generating SSH keys in a Windows environment used to be a convoluted process which required the installation of third-party tools. Since the Windows 10 April 2018 update, Windows has shipped with a preinstalled OpenSSH client, which means you can use ssh-keygen to generate SSH keys. Read on as we walk you through the entire process.
First, you’ll need to make sure OpenSSH is installed on your machine – if you upgraded from an earlier version of Windows 10, you may need to manually enable it. Launch the Settings app and click the “Apps” category. Next, click the “Manage optional features” link. If you don’t see “OpenSSH Client” in the list which appears, click the “Add a feature” button and install it. You might need to reboot your PC after the installation.
Once OpenSSH is installed, you’re ready to proceed. Open Command Prompt from the Start menu. Type “ssh-keygen” (without the quotes) into the terminal window and press enter. You’ll be prompted to confirm the save location. We recommend pressing enter to use the default location in your user directory. Otherwise, type a path to save the key in and then press enter.
You can now choose to add a passphrase (password) to the key. If you add one, you’ll need to supply it whenever you use the key. Either type a passphrase and press enter or press enter immediately to proceed without one.
Windows will now generate your RSA public/private key pair. The public key will be stored as “id_rsa.pub” in the directory you specified. Upload this key to any machines you need to SSH into. You can then open a connection using Windows’ built-in SSH client – type “ssh [email protected]” to connect and authenticate using your generated credentials.