{"id":683,"date":"2023-04-13T07:08:42","date_gmt":"2023-04-13T07:08:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.hostinger.io\/support\/2023\/04\/13\/7266279-how-to-fix-the-host-key-verification-failed-error\/"},"modified":"2026-05-11T11:42:14","modified_gmt":"2026-05-11T11:42:14","slug":"7266279-how-to-fix-the-host-key-verification-failed-error","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hostinger.com\/support\/7266279-how-to-fix-the-host-key-verification-failed-error\/","title":{"rendered":"How to fix the “Host key verification failed” error"},"content":{"rendered":"

The “Host key verification failed” error is a security feature of SSH. It occurs when the identification key (fingerprint) of the remote server you are trying to access has changed since your last connection. To protect you from “man-in-the-middle” attacks, SSH blocks the connection until the outdated key is updated or removed.<\/p>

The quick fix: Using the ssh-keygen command<\/h2>

The most efficient way to fix this error is to use the ssh-keygen tool to remove the outdated key for a specific IP address or domain.<\/p>

    \n
  1. Open your terminal (macOS\/Linux) or PowerShell (Windows).<\/li>\n
  2. Run the following command, replacing [IP_ADDRESS] with your server’s IP:\n
    ssh-keygen -R [IP_ADDRESS]<\/pre>\n
    Make sure to replace [vps-ip]<\/b> with the IP of your VPS<\/a><\/b>. This will create a backup copy of the known_hosts<\/b> file and delete the host key entry associated with your VPS IP.<\/p><\/li>\n
  3. The output will confirm that the known_hosts file has been updated. You can now try reconnecting.<\/li>\n<\/ol>
    \"\"<\/p>
    The manual fix: Editing the known_hosts file<\/h2>
    If the command above does not work, you can manually open and edit the storage file to remove the offending fingerprint.<\/p>
      \n
    1. Locate your known_hosts file:\n