Can I savely remove the entire .ssh directory
 

[I APOLOGIZE FOR DUPLICATE POSTING THIS THREAD]

Hi!

I use three different remote computers for a study-related project (2 for research, 1 webserver), from my local laptop, with SSH.

I am a mere user, I do not have admin rights.

I use SSH and SCP a lot.

Having to tyoe in the password easch time I use ssh.scp sucked. So I copied the id_rsa.pub into the authorized_keys.

However, I think somehow I mized s/th up. I am not sure and can not reconstruct what I did wrong, anyway between some of the computers I can use scp/ssh w/o problems, but with some combinations I am still asked for the password.

What I want to do: start from scratch.

My question is:
Can I just erase the .ssh directory everywhere, generate new private and public keys, and copy them accordingly?

I ask because I am afraid that I will screw up completely if I erase the .ssh dirs. After I erased the .ssh dirs, will I still be able to log in, at least if using the password?

Thanks.

The dot files and directories, such as .ssh, in your home folder are created the first time you use an application or service. Your user preferences are stored there. You can safely delete the file/folder and create a new one when you use ssh again.

If the dot file is anywhere but your home folder, you may not be able to delete it. Also, it may not be safe to delete it.