Creating an SSH Key on Windows: PowerShell, OpenSSH, and ssh-agent

Create an SSH key on Windows with the built-in OpenSSH client. The right PowerShell command is ssh-keygen -t ed25519. The right agent setup is Start-Service ssh-agent and ssh-add. The team that has this set up has SSH that works from PowerShell, CMD, VS Code, and Windows Terminal without installing any third-party tool.

Table of contents

• The right command
• Starting the agent
• Adding the key to a server
• The right SSH config
• FAQ

The right command

The right way to create an SSH key on Windows in PowerShell:

ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "alice@workstation"

The command prompts for a file location and passphrase. The right answer is to use the default location and to set a passphrase.

Starting the agent

The right way to start the ssh-agent on Windows:

Set-Service ssh-agent -StartupType Automatic
Start-Service ssh-agent
ssh-add $env:USERPROFILE\.ssh\id_ed25519

Adding the key to a server

The right way is ssh-copy-id:

ssh-copy-id alice@server

Or copy the public key manually:

Get-Content $env:USERPROFILE\.ssh\id_ed25519.pub | Set-Clipboard

Then paste into ~/.ssh/authorized_keys on the server.

The right SSH config

The right way to configure the SSH client on Windows is ~/.ssh/config. The right defaults:

Host *
  AddKeysToAgent yes
  IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_ed25519

FAQ

Does Windows 10 have OpenSSH?

Yes, since version 1809. The right answer is to enable it in Settings → Apps → Optional features.

Can I use PuTTY?

Yes, but the right answer is to use the built-in OpenSSH. The wrong answer is to install PuTTY when OpenSSH is already there.

How do I add the key to GitHub?

Get-Content $env:USERPROFILE\.ssh\id_ed25519.pub | Set-Clipboard, then paste into GitHub → Settings → SSH and GPG keys.

What if ssh-keygen is not found?

Add-WindowsCapability -Online -Name OpenSSH.Client~~~~0.0.1.0.

How do I see the key fingerprint?

ssh-keygen -l -f $env:USERPROFILE\.ssh\id_ed25519.

Can I use WSL2 instead?

Yes, but the right answer is to use both — WSL2 for Linux-specific scripts, native Windows OpenSSH for general SSH.

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Useful related references:

• Ssh Keygen Windows
• Create Ssh Key In Windows
• Generate A Ssh Key Windows