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Linode SSH Permission Denied (publickey)

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Workaround available Linux, Cloud Manager Updated November 14, 2026Based on 3 user reportsHow we research

Quick answer

Permission denied means root login or password auth is disabled, or your public key is not in authorized_keys. Fix it from Lish, which works without SSH.

Most likely fix: Inspect sshd settings from Lish

How to fix it

Try these in order — the most common fix is first.

  1. 1. Inspect sshd settings from Lish

    1. Open Lish from Cloud Manager
    2. Run grep PermitRootLogin /etc/ssh/sshd_config and grep PasswordAuthentication /etc/ssh/sshd_config
    3. Log in as another user, or set the value you need and run sudo systemctl restart sshd
    Did this fix it?

  2. 2. Add your public key

    1. Run cat ~/.ssh/authorized_keys for the target user
    2. Append your public key on a new line if it is missing
    3. Find the file location with grep AuthorizedKeysFile /etc/ssh/sshd_config
    Did this fix it?

  3. 3. Debug from your computer

    1. Run ssh -vvv user@IP and read which key is offered and why it is refused
    Did this fix it?

  4. 4. Reset a forgotten root password

    1. In Cloud Manager open the Linode, choose the Reset Root Password option (Linode must be shut down)
    2. Boot again and log in via Lish; as root run passwd username to change another user
    Did this fix it?

Symptoms

Permission denied (publickey) or Permission denied, please try again when connecting over SSH, even though the server is reachable.

Why it happens

  • PermitRootLogin is set to no
  • PasswordAuthentication is set to no and no key is installed
  • Your public key is missing from authorized_keys
  • Forgotten user or root password

This guide also covers

  • linode ssh permission denied
  • linode permission denied publickey
  • linode reset root password

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