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This version of GitHub Enterprise was discontinued on 2021-06-09. No patch releases will be made, even for critical security issues. For better performance, improved security, and new features, upgrade to the latest version of GitHub Enterprise. For help with the upgrade, contact GitHub Enterprise support.

Article version: Enterprise Server 2.21
Article version: Enterprise Server 2.21

Adding a new SSH key to your GitHub account

To configure your GitHub Enterprise Server account to use your new (or existing) SSH key, you'll also need to add it to your GitHub Enterprise Server account.

Before adding a new SSH key to your GitHub Enterprise Server account, you should have:

After adding a new SSH key to your GitHub Enterprise Server account, you can reconfigure any local repositories to use SSH. For more information, see "Switching remote URLs from HTTPS to SSH."

Note: DSA keys (SSH-DSS) are no longer supported. Existing keys will continue to function, but you cannot add new DSA keys to your GitHub Enterprise Server account.

  1. Copy the SSH public key to your clipboard.

    If your SSH public key file has a different name than the example code, modify the filename to match your current setup. When copying your key, don't add any newlines or whitespace.

    $ pbcopy < ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub
# Copies the contents of the id_ed25519.pub file to your clipboard

    Tip: If pbcopy isn't working, you can locate the hidden .ssh folder, open the file in your favorite text editor, and copy it to your clipboard.

  2. In the upper-right corner of any page, click your profile photo, then click Settings. Settings icon in the user bar

  3. In the user settings sidebar, click SSH and GPG keys. Authentication keys

  4. Click New SSH key or Add SSH key. SSH Key button

  5. In the "Title" field, add a descriptive label for the new key. For example, if you're using a personal Mac, you might call this key "Personal MacBook Air".

  6. Paste your key into the "Key" field. The key field

  7. Click Add SSH key. The Add key button

  8. If prompted, confirm your GitHub Enterprise Server password. Sudo mode dialog

  1. Copy the SSH public key to your clipboard.

    If your SSH public key file has a different name than the example code, modify the filename to match your current setup. When copying your key, don't add any newlines or whitespace.

    $ clip < ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub
# Copies the contents of the id_ed25519.pub file to your clipboard

    Tip: If clip isn't working, you can locate the hidden .ssh folder, open the file in your favorite text editor, and copy it to your clipboard.

  2. In the upper-right corner of any page, click your profile photo, then click Settings. Settings icon in the user bar

  3. In the user settings sidebar, click SSH and GPG keys. Authentication keys

  4. Click New SSH key or Add SSH key. SSH Key button

  5. In the "Title" field, add a descriptive label for the new key. For example, if you're using a personal Mac, you might call this key "Personal MacBook Air".

  6. Paste your key into the "Key" field. The key field

  7. Click Add SSH key. The Add key button

  8. If prompted, confirm your GitHub Enterprise Server password. Sudo mode dialog

  1. Copy the SSH public key to your clipboard.

    If your SSH public key file has a different name than the example code, modify the filename to match your current setup. When copying your key, don't add any newlines or whitespace.

    $ sudo apt-get update
$ sudo apt-get install xclip
# Downloads and installs xclip. If you don't have `apt-get`, you might need to use another installer (like `yum`)

$ xclip -selection clipboard < ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub
# Copies the contents of the id_ed25519.pub file to your clipboard

    Tip: If xclip isn't working, you can locate the hidden .ssh folder, open the file in your favorite text editor, and copy it to your clipboard.

  2. In the upper-right corner of any page, click your profile photo, then click Settings. Settings icon in the user bar

  3. In the user settings sidebar, click SSH and GPG keys. Authentication keys

  4. Click New SSH key or Add SSH key. SSH Key button

  5. In the "Title" field, add a descriptive label for the new key. For example, if you're using a personal Mac, you might call this key "Personal MacBook Air".

  6. Paste your key into the "Key" field. The key field

  7. Click Add SSH key. The Add key button

  8. If prompted, confirm your GitHub Enterprise Server password. Sudo mode dialog

To download or find more information about GitHub CLI, see the GitHub CLI feature page.

To add an SSH key to your GitHub account, use the ssh-key add subcommand.

gh ssh-key add key-file

To include a title for the new key, use the -t or --title flag.

gh ssh-key add key-file --title "personal laptop"