Connect over SSH

SSH opens a terminal on the PS5 from another device on the same network. It works when the screen is black, and it's the easiest way to paste commands from this wiki or Discord.

User and password per image

Image	SSH on by default	Log in as
PS5 Bazzite Deck	yes	ps5, password ps5
Ubuntu, Arch, CachyOS, Fedora	yes	the user you created on the first start
Debian	no (its default password is public)	the user you created; turn SSH on first: sudo systemctl enable --now ssh.service
Proxmox VE	yes	root

Change a default password with passwd. Anyone on your network can log in with a known one.

Find the PS5's IP address

• On the PS5, in a terminal: ip -brief a. Use the address on the line that says UP, on enp… (Ethernet) or wlp… (Wi-Fi).
• Without a picture: your router's list of connected devices shows it, named after the image (ps5, ubuntu, archlinux and so on).

Ethernet works from the first start on every image; use it when Wi-Fi isn't set up yet.

Connect

Replace 192.168.1.50 with your PS5's address, and ps5 with your user if it's another image.

Windows 10 and 11: open Terminal or PowerShell and run:

ssh [email protected]

If Windows says ssh isn't recognized: Settings → System → Optional features → Add a feature → OpenSSH Client. PuTTY works as well: put the address under Host Name, port 22, then log in.

macOS and Linux: the same command in Terminal.

Phone: an SSH app such as Termius (iOS, Android). Add a host with the address, user and password.

The first time, it asks whether to trust the PS5's key: answer yes. While you type the password nothing appears on screen; type it and press Enter.

Run commands

• sudo asks for the password once, then remembers it for a few minutes. When you paste several lines that start with sudo, run sudo -v on its own first: otherwise the lines after the first go into the password prompt instead of running.
• Copy commands without the ``` lines around them.
• Leave with exit. The commands you run afterwards run on your own computer again; check the prompt (ps5@… is the PS5).

Copy a file from the PS5 to your computer

Example: the ps5-report file. ps5-report saves it in your home folder on the PS5 and prints its name at the end, for example saved to /var/home/ps5/ps5-report-20261110-1236.txt.

Copy it from your computer, in a new terminal window, not inside the SSH session. (A prompt starting with ps5@ is the PS5: type exit first.)

Windows, in Terminal or PowerShell, into your Downloads folder:

scp [email protected]:ps5-report-*.txt $HOME\Downloads\

macOS and Linux:

scp '[email protected]:ps5-report-*.txt' ~/Downloads/

It asks for the PS5's password, then the file is in Downloads, ready to attach on Discord or GitHub.

• ps5-report-*.txt copies every report in the home folder. For one, use the name ps5-report printed, such as ps5-report-20261110-1236.txt.
• A path without / at the start is in the home folder on the PS5. Other files work the same: [email protected]:/etc/fstab.
• Don't use {a,b} patterns to copy several files at once: current scp doesn't take them.

With a window instead of a command: WinSCP on Windows, or the SFTP tab of an app such as Termius on a phone: connect with the same address, user and password, open the home folder, and drag the file to your computer or tap Download.

The other way, from your computer to the PS5's home folder: scp myfile.txt [email protected]:

Log in without a password

On your computer, once:

ssh-keygen -t ed25519

Then copy the key to the PS5. macOS and Linux:

ssh-copy-id [email protected]

Windows, in PowerShell:

type $env:USERPROFILE\.ssh\id_ed25519.pub | ssh [email protected] "mkdir -p ~/.ssh && cat >> ~/.ssh/authorized_keys"

Errors

Message	Cause and fix
Connection timed out, No route to host	Wrong address, the PS5 isn't in Linux yet, or it's on another network. Check the address in the router. If Linux didn't get as far as the network, the problem is the start, not SSH.
Connection refused	Linux runs, but SSH is off (Debian): turn it on as in the table above.
Permission denied	Wrong user or password. On PS5 Bazzite Deck the user is ps5, not root or steam.
WARNING: REMOTE HOST IDENTIFICATION HAS CHANGED!	Expected after switching the console to another install (a reflash, bootc instead of Legacy, another drive): each install has its own key. ssh-keygen -R 192.168.1.50, then connect again. If you changed nothing on the console, don't connect, and ask on Discord.
ssh: command not found (Windows)	Install the OpenSSH Client, see Connect.

With the screen black but SSH working, see Black screen, but SSH works.