Mount SSH folder on Windows

Overview

SSHFS (SSH Filesystem) allows you to mount remote directories over SSH on Windows, creating a network drive that behaves like a local filesystem. This is particularly useful for developers working with remote Linux servers, enabling seamless file access without manual file transfers.

Key Benefits:

• Real-time file synchronization
• Uses existing SSH authentication (password or key-based)
• No additional server-side configuration required
• Works with any SSH-enabled server
• Supports Windows Explorer integration

Prerequisites

Before installing SSHFS-Win, ensure you have:

• Windows 10 version 1803 or later (Windows 11 recommended)
• Administrator privileges for installation
• Active SSH connection to the remote server
• WinFsp (Windows File System Proxy) - automatically installed with SSHFS-Win

Install SSHFS

SSHFS-Win is built on top of WinFsp, which provides the kernel-mode filesystem driver that enables user-mode filesystems on Windows. The installation package includes both components.

1winget install SSHFS-Win.SSHFS-Win

Alternative Installation Methods:

Using Chocolatey:

1choco install sshfs

Manual Installation:

1. Download from GitHub Releases
2. Install WinFsp first (included in installer)
3. Install SSHFS-Win

Post-Installation Verification:

1# Check if SSHFS service is running
2Get-Service | Where-Object {$_.Name -like "*sshfs*"}
3
4# Verify WinFsp installation
5Get-ItemProperty HKLM:\Software\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\* | Where-Object {$_.DisplayName -like "*WinFsp*"}

Mount folder

The \\sshfs\ prefix is a special UNC path that SSHFS-Win recognizes. When you access this path, Windows redirects the request to the SSHFS-Win service, which establishes an SSH connection and translates filesystem operations.

1net use Z: \\sshfs\user@host\path
2
3# or
4
5\\sshfs\[email protected]

Advanced Mounting Options

Mount with Custom SSH Port

If your SSH server runs on a non-standard port (default is 22):

1# Using port 2222
2net use Z: \\sshfs\user@host!2222\path
3
4# Example with IP address and custom port
5net use Y: \\sshfs\[email protected]!2222\home\admin

Mount with SSH Key Authentication

For key-based authentication, SSHFS-Win uses the SSH agent or looks for keys in %USERPROFILE%\.ssh\:

1# Ensure your private key is loaded in the SSH agent
2ssh-add "C:\Users\YourName\.ssh\id_rsa"
3
4# Then mount normally
5net use Z: \\sshfs\user@host\path

Mount with Specific Options

You can pass additional SSH options using the extended syntax:

1# Mount with specific identity file
2net use Z: "\\sshfs\user@host\path?IdentityFile=C:\Users\YourName\.ssh\custom_key"
3
4# Mount with compression enabled (faster for slow connections)
5net use Z: "\\sshfs\user@host\path?Compression=yes"
6
7# Combine multiple options
8net use Z: "\\sshfs\user@host!2222\path?IdentityFile=C:\ssh\key&Compression=yes"

Mounting at Startup

Using Task Scheduler

Create a PowerShell script for automatic mounting at login:

1# Save as: mount-ssh-drives.ps1
2
3# Define your mount points
4$mounts = @(
5    @{
6        Drive = "Z:"
7        Path = "\\sshfs\[email protected]\home\user"
8    },
9    @{
10        Drive = "Y:"
11        Path = "\\sshfs\[email protected]\var\www"
12    }
13)
14
15foreach ($mount in $mounts) {
16    try {
17        # Check if drive already exists
18        if (!(Test-Path $mount.Drive)) {
19            net use $mount.Drive $mount.Path /persistent:yes
20            Write-Host "Mounted $($mount.Drive) successfully"
21        } else {
22            Write-Host "$($mount.Drive) already mounted"
23        }
24    } catch {
25        Write-Warning "Failed to mount $($mount.Drive): $_"
26    }
27}

Make Mount Persistent

To automatically reconnect the drive after reboot:

1# Enable persistent connection
2net use Z: \\sshfs\user@host\path /persistent:yes
3
4# List all persistent connections
5net use
6
7# Remove a persistent connection
8net use Z: /delete

Troubleshooting

Common Issues and Solutions

Connection Timeout:

1# Increase timeout (in seconds)
2net use Z: "\\sshfs\user@host\path?ServerAliveInterval=60&ServerAliveCountMax=3"

Permission Denied:

1# Check SSH connection first
2ssh user@host
3
4# Verify file permissions on remote server
5ssh user@host "ls -la /path/to/folder"

Drive Letter Already in Use:

1# List all mapped drives
2net use
3
4# Disconnect specific drive
5net use Z: /delete
6
7# Or disconnect all network drives
8net use * /delete

Performance Optimization

For Large File Operations:

1# Enable caching and increase buffer size
2net use Z: "\\sshfs\user@host\path?cache_timeout=115200&cache=yes"

For Better Compatibility:

1# Use SFTP subsystem explicitly
2net use Z: "\\sshfs\user@host\path?ssh_command=sftp"

Monitoring and Management

Check Mount Status

1# View detailed information about mounted drives
2Get-PSDrive -PSProvider FileSystem | Where-Object {$_.DisplayRoot -like "*sshfs*"}
3
4# View network statistics
5net use Z:
6
7# Test connectivity
8Test-NetConnection -ComputerName host -Port 22

Unmounting

1# Graceful unmount
2net use Z: /delete
3
4# Force unmount if drive is busy
5net use Z: /delete /yes
6
7# Unmount all network drives
8net use * /delete /yes

Security Considerations

1. SSH Key Management: Always use SSH keys with passphrases instead of password authentication
2. Host Key Verification: Ensure the remote host's fingerprint is verified on first connection
3. Network Security: Use VPN when accessing SSH servers over untrusted networks
4. Credential Storage: SSHFS-Win uses Windows Credential Manager; review stored credentials regularly:
   powershell

   Copy

   1cmdkey /list | Select-String "sshfs"

Integration with Windows Explorer

After mounting, the SSH folder appears in Windows Explorer like any other drive:

• Quick Access: Pin frequently used SSH drives to Quick Access
• Search: Windows Search indexes mounted drives (can be disabled for privacy)
• File Operations: Drag-and-drop, copy-paste work seamlessly
• Context Menu: Right-click operations are supported

Comparison with Alternatives

Additional Resources

• WinFsp Documentation: https://github.com/winfsp/winfsp
• SSHFS-Win GitHub: https://github.com/winfsp/sshfs-win
• SSH Configuration: https://www.ssh.com/academy/ssh/config