How to Make SSH Use a Password Instead of a Key

Need to test password-based SSH login, or connect to a host without offering your usual key? You can override the client’s authentication choices for a single connection without changing or deleting any keys. ssh -o PreferredAuthentications=password -o PubkeyAuthentication=no user@host Replace user and host with the account and server you want to reach. These options apply only to this invocation of ssh. PreferredAuthentications=password tells the client to use the SSH password authentication method.