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This guide is for clients who have selected Ubuntu as their VPS operating system. If your VPS is running Windows, see the Windows VPS connection guide instead.

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Option 1: Built-in OpenSSH (PowerShell)

Windows 10 (build 1809+) and Windows 11 ship with OpenSSH Client enabled by default — no installation needed. You can connect using the built-in PowerShell or Windows Terminal.
1

Open PowerShell

Open the Start menu, type PowerShell (or Terminal on Windows 11), and press Enter to launch it.
2

Run the SSH command

Type the following, replacing YOUR_VPS_IP with the IP address from your welcome email, then press Enter:
3

Accept the host key fingerprint

The first time you connect, SSH shows the server’s key fingerprint. Type yes and press Enter to save it to your local trust list.
4

Enter your password

When prompted, paste or type your VPS root password from the welcome email and press Enter.
Characters will not appear on screen as you type the password — this is normal SSH behavior. You can paste with Ctrl+V in PowerShell.
5

Connected

You’re now logged into your Linux VPS. The title bar changes to root@<hostname> and the prompt becomes a Linux shell (#). To disconnect, type exit and press Enter.

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Option 2: PuTTY

If you prefer a graphical client with saved session profiles, PuTTY is a popular free SSH client for Windows.
Only download PuTTY from the official site. Many third-party “putty.org” style mirrors distribute outdated builds or malware bundles.
1

Download PuTTY from the official site

Open chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/latest.html and, under the MSI (‘Windows Installer’) section, download putty-64bit-X.XX-installer.msi. The 32-bit version is only for very old PCs.
2

Run the installer

Double-click the downloaded MSI to launch the PuTTY release X.XX (64-bit) Setup Wizard, then click Next through the wizard accepting the defaults, and Finish when complete.
3

Launch PuTTY

Open the Start menu, type PuTTY, and launch it. The PuTTY Configuration window opens to the Session category.
4

Enter your VPS IP

In Host Name (or IP address) enter the IP from your welcome email. Leave Port at 22 and Connection type at SSH. Click Open.
To save these settings for future use, type a name (e.g. “My Linux VPS”) in Saved Sessions and click Save before clicking Open. Next time, just double-click the saved session to connect.
5

Accept the host key

On first connect, PuTTY shows a Security Alert with the server’s RSA key fingerprint. Click Accept to cache the key and continue.
6

Log in as root

PuTTY opens a terminal showing login as:. Type root, press Enter, then enter your VPS root password when prompted.
To paste your password in PuTTY, copy it on Windows first, then right-click inside the PuTTY terminal window. Ctrl+V does not work at the PuTTY password prompt. Characters will not appear as you type — this is normal.
7

Connected

You’re now logged in to your Linux VPS. The title bar shows root@<hostname> and the prompt becomes a Linux shell (#). To disconnect, type exit and press Enter.

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Troubleshooting

Wait at least 5–10 minutes after receiving your welcome email — the Linux installation finishes provisioning during that window. If the problem persists, double-check the IP from your email matches what you typed, and confirm your local network does not block outbound port 22 (some corporate or hotel networks do).
Copy your password directly from the welcome email rather than retyping it. In PuTTY, right-click inside the terminal to paste — Ctrl+V does not work at the password prompt. If the password still fails, you can reset it from the client portal.
This warning appears if your VPS was reinstalled or its host keys regenerated. After confirming the server is genuinely yours (e.g. you just triggered a reinstall), remove the cached key:
  • OpenSSH: run ssh-keygen -R YOUR_VPS_IP in PowerShell, then reconnect.
  • PuTTY: click Accept on the new fingerprint warning that appears on next connect.
SSH responsiveness depends on the physical distance between you and the VPS. Use the Latency Checker to verify you picked the region closest to you. For long-running interactive sessions, consider installing tmux or screen on the VPS so the session survives brief network drops.
Last modified on May 27, 2026