PowerShell SSH remoting

PowerShell 7 can use SSH as a remoting transport instead of WinRM. That is what makes remoting work between Windows, Linux and macOS.

Lesson 2 min read Windows PowerShell 5.1 and PowerShell 7

Documentation: Microsoft Learn

Written and tested by Dhrub Bharali · Updated 02 October 2026

Overview

The parameters change rather than the cmdlets. Instead of -ComputerName you pass -HostName, and instead of Windows credentials you pass -UserName with key-based authentication. Invoke-Command -HostName host -UserName user -ScriptBlock { } is the shape.

Setup is on both ends. The client needs an SSH client. The target needs an SSH server with a PowerShell subsystem entry in sshd_config pointing at pwsh. Getting that subsystem line right is the step people miss, and the symptom is a connection that authenticates and then immediately closes.

The differences from WinRM are worth knowing before you choose. SSH remoting does not support the double-hop delegation options WinRM has, and it has no equivalent of JEA constrained endpoints. It authenticates with keys rather than Kerberos. For cross-platform work it is the only option; for a pure Windows domain, WinRM gives you more control.

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$conn = [pscustomobject]@{
  HostName = 'lin01.corp.local'
  UserName = 'admin'
  Method = 'SSH'
  Command = 'Invoke-Command -HostName lin01.corp.local -UserName admin -ScriptBlock { $PSVersionTable.PSEdition }'
}
$conn | Format-List

Stage 1$connPositional values or no named parameters
Stage 2Format-ListPositional values or no named parameters

What happens

This prints the connection details as a list rather than opening a connection, since this console has no network. Format-List is used because five properties would be squeezed into an unreadable table. Note -HostName and -UserName in the Command value: those two parameters are how you tell PowerShell to use SSH instead of WinRM.

Worth remembering

PowerShell 7 only. Use -HostName and -UserName, not -ComputerName.
The target's sshd_config needs a PowerShell subsystem entry.
Authentication is by SSH key, not Kerberos.
No JEA and no delegation options, unlike WinRM.

Primary documentation

PowerShell remoting documentation

Try it

Illustrative output · values vary by environment

1PS> $conn = [pscustomobject]@{

2PS> HostName = 'lin01.corp.local'

3PS> UserName = 'admin'

4PS> Method = 'SSH'

5PS> Command = 'Invoke-Command -HostName lin01.corp.local -UserName admin -ScriptBlock { $PSVersionTable.PSEdition }'

6PS> }

7PS> $conn | Format-List

Example reader

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$conn = [pscustomobject]@{
  HostName = 'lin01.corp.local'
  UserName = 'admin'
  Method = 'SSH'
  Command = 'Invoke-Command -HostName lin01.corp.local -UserName admin -ScriptBlock { $PSVersionTable.PSEdition }'
}
$conn | Format-List

Ready to inspect.

Prints SSH remoting connection details as a list.

Show reference output