automating annoying tasks, sharing tips, and embracing less frustration Astro 2025-04-03T00:00:00+00:00 https://svnscha.de/tags/windows/atom.xml 2025-04-03T00:00:00+00:00 2025-04-03T00:00:00+00:00 Sven Scharmentke https://svnscha.de/posts/windows-openssh-server/

Enable built-in OpenSSH server on Windows for remote access and VSCode Remote development

<p>Tired of everyone SSHing into Linux? Flip the script: SSH into Windows from your Linux box. Works great with VSCode Remote too. Here's how to enable the built-in OpenSSH server on Windows.</p> <h3 id="step-1-check-installed-openssh-components">Step 1: Check Installed OpenSSH Components</h3> <p>First, open a PowerShell window with administrator privileges. Let's see what's already installed:</p> <pre class="astro-code dark-plus" style="background-color:#1E1E1E;color:#D4D4D4; overflow-x: auto;" tabindex="0" data-language="bash"><code><span class="line"><span style="color:#DCDCAA">Get-WindowsCapability</span><span style="color:#569CD6"> -Online</span><span style="color:#D4D4D4"> | </span><span style="color:#DCDCAA">Where-Object</span><span style="color:#CE9178"> Name</span><span style="color:#569CD6"> -like</span><span style="color:#CE9178"> 'OpenSSH*'</span></span></code></pre> <p>You might see output indicating that the client is installed but not the server:</p> <pre class="astro-code dark-plus" style="background-color:#1E1E1E;color:#D4D4D4; overflow-x: auto;" tabindex="0" data-language="plaintext"><code><span class="line"><span>Name : OpenSSH.Client~~~~0.0.1.0</span></span> <span class="line"><span>State : Installed</span></span> <span class="line"><span></span></span> <span class="line"><span>Name : OpenSSH.Server~~~~0.0.1.0</span></span> <span class="line"><span>State : NotPresent</span></span></code></pre> <h3 id="step-2-install-the-openssh-server">Step 2: Install the OpenSSH Server</h3> <p>If the server isn't present, let's bring it on board. Run:</p> <pre class="astro-code dark-plus" style="background-color:#1E1E1E;color:#D4D4D4; overflow-x: auto;" tabindex="0" data-language="bash"><code><span class="line"><span style="color:#DCDCAA">Add-WindowsCapability</span><span style="color:#569CD6"> -Online</span><span style="color:#569CD6"> -Name</span><span style="color:#CE9178"> OpenSSH.Server~~~~0.0.1.0</span></span></code></pre> <h3 id="step-3-start-and-enable-the-ssh-server">Step 3: Start and Enable the SSH Server</h3> <p>Now, let's get the <code>sshd</code> service up and running:</p> <pre class="astro-code dark-plus" style="background-color:#1E1E1E;color:#D4D4D4; overflow-x: auto;" tabindex="0" data-language="bash"><code><span class="line"><span style="color:#DCDCAA">Start-Service</span><span style="color:#CE9178"> sshd</span></span></code></pre> <p>And ensure it starts automatically with Windows:</p> <pre class="astro-code dark-plus" style="background-color:#1E1E1E;color:#D4D4D4; overflow-x: auto;" tabindex="0" data-language="bash"><code><span class="line"><span style="color:#DCDCAA">Set-Service</span><span style="color:#569CD6"> -Name</span><span style="color:#CE9178"> sshd</span><span style="color:#569CD6"> -StartupType</span><span style="color:#CE9178"> 'Automatic'</span></span></code></pre> <p>That's it.</p>