Transferring SSH Keys to Google Cloud VMs from macOS

To SSH into your new Google Cloud VM from your Mac, you’ll need to transfer your public SSH key to the VM. Here’s how to do it step by step:

✅ 1. Check for an Existing SSH Key on Your Mac

Open Terminal on your Mac and run:

ls ~/.ssh

Look for a file like id_rsa.pub or id_ed25519.pub. If you see one, that’s your public key.

If you don’t have one, generate it:

ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096 -C "your_email@example.com"

Press Enter to accept defaults and it will create a key pair at ~/.ssh/id_rsa and ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub.

✅ 2. Add Your Public Key to the Google Cloud VM

You have two options:

Option A: Use gcloud CLI (Recommended)

If you have the Google Cloud SDK installed:

gcloud compute ssh [INSTANCE_NAME] --zone=[ZONE] --project=[PROJECT_ID]

The gcloud CLI will automatically copy your public SSH key to the instance and SSH you in.

Option B: Manually Add SSH Key via Google Cloud Console

Open the Google Cloud Console.

Go to: Compute Engine > VM instances.

1. Click on your instance name.

2. Click Edit.

Scroll to the SSH Keys section.

Paste your public SSH key (contents of ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub) into the field.

The key should look like:

ssh-rsa AAAAB3Nza... your_email@example.com

Save changes.

✅ 3. SSH from Your Mac

Once the key is added, SSH into your VM from your Mac like this:

ssh [USERNAME]@[EXTERNAL_IP]

USERNAME: Should match the username used in your SSH key.

If you pasted the key in manually, use the name that appears at the end of the public key.

EXTERNAL_IP: Found in the VM details in the Cloud Console.

✅ Optional: Use an SSH Config File (Convenience)

Create or edit ~/.ssh/config:

Host my-gce-vm
  HostName [EXTERNAL_IP]
  User [USERNAME]
  IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_rsa

Then SSH using:

ssh my-gce-vm