---
title: How to connect to your Instance
description: This page explains how to connect to your Instance via SSH
tags: instance connection ssh ssh-key
dates:
validation: 2025-12-18
posted: 2021-05-26
---
import Requirements from '@macros/iam/requirements.mdx'
import image from './assets/scaleway-putty-main.webp'
import image2 from './assets/scaleway-putty-ssh.webp'
import image3 from './assets/scaleway-putty-security.webp'
import image4 from './assets/scaleway-putty-logged.webp'
This page shows how to connect to your Scaleway Instance via SSH. Thanks to the SSH key that you created and uploaded, you can use a terminal application on your local computer to remotely connect to your Instance as root. This enables you to use your Instance as you wish.
- A Scaleway account logged into the [console](https://console.scaleway.com)
- [Owner](/iam/concepts/#owner) status or [IAM permissions](/iam/concepts/#permission) allowing you to perform actions in the intended Organization
- An [SSH key](/organizations-and-projects/how-to/create-ssh-key/)
- An [Instance](/instances/how-to/create-an-instance/)
### How to connect to Linux Instances from OSX (Mac) and Linux
1. Open a terminal program.
2. Enter the command below into the terminal. Make sure you replace `your_private_key` with the filename of your private key (often `id_ed25519`) and `your_instance_ip` with the IP address of your Instance.
```bash
ssh -i ~/.ssh/your_private_key root@your_instance_ip
```
To find the IP address of your Instance, log into the Scaleway console and
click **CPU & GPU Instances** in the Compute section of the side menu. A list of your
Instances and their associated IP addresses will display.
3. If / when prompted, allow connection to the host by typing `yes`, then press **Enter**.
```
The authenticity of host 'myhost.ext (212.47.226.35)' can't be established.
RSA key fingerprint is 4f:ba:65:cf:14:64:a7:1e:b6:07:7c:00:71:95:21:fa.
Are you sure you want to continue connecting (yes/no)?
```
You are now connected to your Instance.
If you are new to using the Linux shell, check out our dedicated tutorial to help you take your [first steps with the Linux command line](/tutorials/first-steps-linux-command-line/).
### How to connect to Linux Instances from Windows
To connect to your Instance from Windows, you will need to use a small application called **PuTTY**, an SSH client.
1. [Download and install PuTTY](https://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/latest.html).
2. Launch PuTTY on your computer. The main screen of the application displays:
3. Enter your Instance's IP address in the **Hostname** field.
To find the IP address of your Instance, log into the Scaleway console and
click **CPU & GPU Instances** in the Compute section of the side menu. A list of your
Instances and their associated IP addresses will display.
4. In the side menu, expand the **Connection**, **SSH** and **Auth** submenus, then click **Credentials**:
5. Click the **Browse** button and select the private key file you [generated previously](/organizations-and-projects/how-to/create-ssh-key/).
6. Click **Open** at the bottom of the screen to open a connection to the Instance. Upon the first connection, PuTTY asks you to allow the connection to the host.
7. Click **OK** to confirm.
The terminal window displays.
8. Enter the username `root` and press **Enter** to authenticate against the server with your SSH key.
You are now connected to your Instance.
If you are new to using the Linux shell, check out our dedicated tutorial to help you take your [first steps with the Linux command line](/tutorials/first-steps-linux-command-line/).
### How to connect to Windows Instances
* The steps below are valid only for Instances running Microsoft Windows as operating system.
* You must have the [Scaleway CLI](https://github.com/scaleway/scaleway-cli) installed and configured on your local machine to be able to retrieve your Windows administrator password.
1. Click **CPU & GPU Instances** in the **Compute** section of the left side menu. The Instances dashboard displays.
2. Select the Availability Zone (AZ) from the drop-down menu (e.g., `PAR1`) to view resources in the selected AZ.
3. Select the name of the Instance you wish to connect to.
4. Click **Get password** to retrieve the password for your Instance. A pop-up will display a command for retrieving your initial password using the Scaleway CLI:
```bash
scw instance server get-rdp-password zone= key=
```
5. Open a terminal and paste the command. Replace ``, ``, and `` with your Instance ID, the corresponding Availability Zone, and the path to your private RSA SSH key, respectively:
```bash
$ scw instance server get-rdp-password e48c5e3e-f3d6-49e5-93be-eacfe4c427fd zone=fr-par-1 key=~/.ssh/id_rsa
```
6. The initial Administrator password will be displayed. Copy and save this password:
```plaintext
Username Administrator
Password nlW_=v->I"mWuEz
SSHKeyID 73f6f13e-0f34-45d0-a61c-463e0289b4a4
SSHKeyDescription My RSA SSH key
```
7. Launch your Remote Desktop client and enter your Instance's IP address, the username **Administrator**, and the initial password.
- On Windows PCs, use the [built-in RDP client](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/how-to-use-remote-desktop-5fe128d5-8fb1-7a23-3b8a-41e636865e8c).
- On Mac OS X, download the [Microsoft RDP client](https://apps.apple.com/en/app/microsoft-remote-desktop/id1295203466).
- On Linux, use your preferred remote desktop client, such as [Remmina](https://remmina.org/) (installed by default on Ubuntu-based distributions).
8. Enter the username **Administrator** and the password, then click **Login**. The Windows desktop displays.
## Troubleshooting connection problems
If you have any problems connecting to your Instance via SSH, refer to our [dedicated troubleshooting document](/instances/troubleshooting/cant-connect-ssh/).