VS Code Remote SSH: Browse and Edit Linux Server Files from Windows

Editing files on a remote Linux server doesn’t have to mean juggling terminal windows and copying config snippets by hand. By connecting VS Code to your Linux server over SSH, you get a full GUI file browser and editor — working directly on remote files as if they’re sitting on your local machine. In this guide I’ll walk you through installing VS Code on Windows, setting up SSH key authentication, and connecting to an Ubuntu server so you can browse and edit files remotely.

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🎥Watch the Video Tutorial

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💡Why Use VS Code for Remote SSH?

If you’re managing Docker compose files, editing configs, or writing scripts on a Linux server, doing it through a terminal editor like nano works — but it’s slow and error-prone for anything more than a quick change. VS Code’s Remote SSH extension gives you syntax highlighting, file browsing, and full editor power directly on the server.

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🛠What You’ll Need

• A Windows PC
• Visual Studio Code
• An Ubuntu server with SSH enabled
• Server IP and SSH user

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📋Step-by-Step Setup

1. Install Visual Studio Code

Download from https://code.visualstudio.com

2. Install Remote SSH Extension

Install the Microsoft Remote SSH extension from the Extensions panel.

3. Generate SSH Key

ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "homelab"

4. Copy Public Key

notepad.exe C:\Users\User\.ssh\id_ed25519.pub

5. Paste Public Key

nano ~/.ssh/authorized_keys

6. Connect via VS Code

ssh username@server-ip -A

7. Edit Files

Open remote folders and edit files directly.

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✅Conclusion

You now have VS Code connected to your Linux server over SSH, making remote development significantly easier.