Keys

An SSH key pair lets you log in without typing a password. The Keys window lists your keys and makes new ones.

Steps

  1. Choose Window ▸ Keys.
  2. You see every private key in ~/.ssh, with its type, comment and fingerprint.
  3. Select a key for the buttons below the list:
    • Copy Public Key: the public key, to paste into a server or a web console. Its menu has other formats: SSH2 (RFC 4716) and PEM (PKCS#8).
    • Install on Host…: put the public key on a server. See Put your key on a server.
    • Export for PuTTY…: a .ppk copy for Windows tools. See Use your PuTTY keys.
    • Add to Agent: keep the key in the ssh agent, with its passphrase in your Keychain.
The Keys window with two keys, their type, comment and fingerprint

Pages

Tips

  • Other Key File… adds a key that lives somewhere else.
  • A key that needs its passphrase before it can be read shows “type unknown”.
  • Settings ▸ Keys sets the folder for new keys: ~/.ssh by default, where ssh finds them by itself.

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