🚨 VS Code Remote-SSH Suddenly Stops Working? (Permission Denied Fix on Windows) If your VS Code Remote-SSH was working perfectly and then suddenly started throwing this error: Permission denied (publickey) …don’t panic. Especially if: ✅ PuTTY still works ✅ Mac SSH works ❌ Only Windows VS Code Remote-SSH fails Then this post will save you hours of frustration. 🔍 The Real Cause (Not What You Think) At first, you might suspect: SSH key mismatch ❌ Server issue ❌ Network problem ❌ But the real culprit is: 👉 Windows file permissions (ACL) on your private key ⚠️ Why This Happens VS Code uses OpenSSH, which enforces strict security rules: Your private key MUST be accessible only by you. If your key file has extra permissions like: Users Administrators CodexSandboxUsers or inherited permissions Then OpenSSH will REFUSE to use your key, even if it is correct. You’ll see something like: WARNING: UNPROTECTED PRIVATE KEY FILE! This private key will be ignored. 💥 The Fix (Instant Solution) Run these commands in PowerShell: icacls "C:\Users\YOUR_USERNAME\Documents\putty\id_rsa" /inheritance:r icacls "C:\Users\YOUR_USERNAME\Documents\putty\id_rsa" /grant:r YOUR_USERNAME:F Example: icacls "C:\Users\t1gum\Documents\putty\id_rsa" /inheritance:r icacls "C:\Users\t1gum\Documents\putty\id_rsa" /grant:r t1gum:F 🔧 What These Commands Do /inheritance:r → removes all inherited permissions /grant:r YOUR_USERNAME:F → gives full access only to you After this, your key becomes secure enough for OpenSSH to accept 🚀 Test Your Connection Try again: ssh -i C:\Users\YOUR_USERNAME\Documents\putty\id_rsa ubuntu@YOUR_SERVER_IP If it works, VS Code Remote-SSH will also work again. 🧠 Why It “Suddenly” Broke This usually happens because: 1. File permissions changed automatically Moving files Copying from another folder Downloading again 2. Windows / OpenSSH update Newer versions enforce stricter security rules. 3. VS Code Remote-SSH is stricter than PuTTY PuTTY ignores permission issues.OpenSSH does not. 💡 Best Practice (Avoid This Forever) Always store your SSH keys here: C:\Users\YOUR_USERNAME\.ssh\ Then secure it once: icacls C:\Users\YOUR_USERNAME\.ssh\id_rsa /inheritance:r icacls C:\Users\YOUR_USERNAME\.ssh\id_rsa /grant:r YOUR_USERNAME:F And you’re done. 🎯 Final Summary If VS Code Remote-SSH suddenly stops working: 👉 It’s NOT your server👉 It’s NOT your key👉 It’s your Windows file permissions 💬 One-Line Fix icacls YOUR_KEY_PATH /inheritance:r icacls YOUR_KEY_PATH /grant:r YOUR_USERNAME:F If this saved you, bookmark it.You will 100% run into this again 😎