Using an external OpenSSH client

OpenSSH on Windows 10

Modern versions of Windows and Windows Server come with OpenSSH installed, and available on the system PATH. By default, the OpenSSH binaries are located in C:\WINDOWS\System32\OpenSSH\.

The ssh-agent is also implemented as a Windows service, allowing it to be run automatically, during boot or login, and so on.

NOTE: By default the ssh-agent service is disabled, and if its use required — to manage your private keys, for instance — it will need to be explicitly enabled, and then started (or configured to start as necessary).

Configuring Git For Windows to use an external client

NOTE: This feature is still experimental.

As per this discussion on the issue, during the installation of Git For Windows there is an option to utilise either the built-in OpenSSH client, or an external client. Choosing to use an external client will skip inclusion of the bundled OpenSSH binaries in the Git For Windows installation.

Post-installation, or if using the portable version, to make Git For Windows utilise an external OpenSSH client, remove the bundled OpenSSH binaries. They are typically located in /usr/bin/, relative to the installation directory or root folder of the portable version. The bundled OpenSSH implementation is represented by the binaries listed below. On Windows they will have the .exe extension.

NOTE: The Windows implementation of OpenSSH does not include replacements for all of these. At time of writing, it is missing those indicated below.

• scp
• sftp
• ssh
• sshd [not implemented in the built-in Windows OpenSSH]
• All binaries starting with ssh-:
  • ssh-add
  • ssh-agent
  • ssh-copy-id [not implemented in the built-in Windows OpenSSH]
  • ssh-keygen
  • ssh-keyscan
  • ssh-pageant [not implemented in the built-in Windows OpenSSH]