FAQ
Connecting questions
Short answers about logging in, host keys, SSH keys, agents and certificates.
Where do I get a host name, user name and password?
Section titled “Where do I get a host name, user name and password?”From whoever runs the server: your hosting provider, cloud console or administrator. linscp cannot look them up or reset them for you. See your first connection.
Where do I type the server’s IP address?
Section titled “Where do I type the server’s IP address?”In Host name. It takes either a name such as example.com or an
address such as 192.0.2.10. See Site Manager.
How do I avoid filling in the details every time?
Section titled “How do I avoid filling in the details every time?”Save the site with Save in the Site Manager. Then double-click it to connect. See Site Manager.
How do I start in a particular folder?
Section titled “How do I start in a particular folder?”Set Remote directory and Local directory under Advanced… › Environment › Directories. See advanced site settings.
Where do I find the host key fingerprint to check?
Section titled “Where do I find the host key fingerprint to check?”Ask the administrator, or read it on the server through a channel you
already trust, such as a provider’s browser console, with ssh-keygen -lf
on the files in /etc/ssh/. See verifying host keys.
Can I use my existing OpenSSH key?
Section titled “Can I use my existing OpenSSH key?”Yes. Choose it under Advanced… › SSH › Authentication › Private key
file; linscp offers to convert it to PuTTY’s .ppk format. See
SSH keys.
How do I log in without typing my key’s passphrase each time?
Section titled “How do I log in without typing my key’s passphrase each time?”Load the key into an SSH agent (ssh-add). linscp uses the agent at
$SSH_AUTH_SOCK on Linux; Pageant is not included there. See
authentication.
Why does linscp keep asking for my password?
Section titled “Why does linscp keep asking for my password?”The password is not saved with the site, the saved one is wrong, or you cancelled the master password prompt. See stored passwords and master password.
Why is my password rejected when it works elsewhere?
Section titled “Why is my password rejected when it works elsewhere?”Check the user name, the keyboard layout and whether the server allows password logins at all; many cloud servers accept only keys. See connection and login problems.
Why can other programs connect when linscp cannot?
Section titled “Why can other programs connect when linscp cannot?”Usually a firewall rule or proxy setting applies to one program and not the other. See connection and login problems.
Can I connect to an FTP server?
Section titled “Can I connect to an FTP server?”Yes. Prefer FTPS (FTP with TLS) so the password is encrypted. See FTP and FTPS settings.
How do I know the connection is secure?
Section titled “How do I know the connection is secure?”SFTP and SCP are always encrypted. FTP, WebDAV and S3 are encrypted only with TLS. See the security overview.
Why is a certificate refused on Linux but accepted on Windows?
Section titled “Why is a certificate refused on Linux but accepted on Windows?”On Linux, linscp does not fetch intermediate certificates that the server leaves out, so an incomplete chain fails. Ask the operator to send the full chain. See the security overview.
Can I switch to another user, like root, after logging in?
Section titled “Can I switch to another user, like root, after logging in?”Not within an SFTP session. If you may use sudo without a password, set
the site’s SFTP server to run through sudo. See
cloud servers.
How do I connect through a proxy or jump host?
Section titled “How do I connect through a proxy or jump host?”Use the site’s Proxy or Tunnel page. See proxies, jump hosts and tunnels.