How to Mount a Remote Directory on Your Local PC with sshfs

On Linux, you can also set up an automatic and resilient SSHFS mounting (systemd user services).

1. Install sshfs on Your Local PC

  • On a Linux machine (e.g., Ubuntu/Debian), install the sshfs package: 
    sudo apt update
sudo apt install sshfs
  • For macOS, install sshfs via Homebrew: 
    brew install macfuse
brew install sshfs
  • For Windows, use WinFsp and SSHFS-Win.

2. Create a Local Mount Point

Create a local directory where the remote filesystem will be mounted, for example:

mkdir ~/remote_home

3. Mount the Remote Directory with sshfs

Use the following command to mount the remote directory:

sshfs username@remote_host:/path/to/remote/home ~/remote_home
  • Replace username with your username on the remote server.
  • Replace remote_host with the address of your remote server (e.g., 192.168.1.100 or example.com).
  • Replace /path/to/remote/home with the path of the directory you want to mount (e.g., /home/user).

4. Useful Options

Here are some useful options to customize the mount:

  • Verbose mode (for debugging): Add -o debug.
  • Compression: Add -o compression=yes to compress transferred data.
  • Read-only mode: Add -o ro to mount in read-only mode.
  • Custom SSH port: If the server uses a non-standard SSH port (e.g., 1234): 
    sshfs username@remote_host:/path/to/remote/home ~/remote_home -p 1234
  • Preserve local permissions: 
    sshfs username@remote_host:/path/to/remote/home ~/remote_home -o uid=$(id -u),gid=$(id -g)

5. Unmount the Directory

To unmount the directory when you are done, use:

fusermount -u ~/remote_home

6. Automate with /etc/fstab (Optional)

If you want to mount the directory automatically at startup:

  1. Add a line to the /etc/fstab file: 
    sshfs#username@remote_host:/path/to/remote/home ~/remote_home fuse.sshfs defaults,_netdev 0 0
  2. Set up your SSH key to avoid entering the password every time.

7. Use an SSH Configuration File (Optional)

If you have specific SSH options (such as ProxyCommand or a custom port), configure them in ~/.ssh/config. Example:

Host remote_server
    HostName example.com
    User username
    Port 1234
    ProxyCommand ssh -W %h:%p jump_host

Then, simply use:

sshfs remote_server:/path/to/remote/home ~/remote_home

If you encounter any issues or need additional help, feel free to ask!

Last updated : 15 October 2026

Scroll to Top