How do I connect to my Contabo server for the first time?

After receiving the email titled “Your login data!”, you can connect to your server for the first time.

The method used to connect depends on the operating system running on your server:

  • Linux servers are typically accessed using SSH.
  • Windows servers are typically accessed using Remote Desktop (RDP).

To connect to your server, you will need:

  • Your server IP address
  • Your server username
  • Your server password (the password you set during installation)

You can find these details in the email titled “Your login data!” or in the Customer Panel.


Table of contents


Connecting to a Linux server (SSH)

➡️ Click to show instructions

Linux servers are accessed using SSH (Secure Shell). Most operating systems include an SSH client by default.

From Windows

  1. Open PowerShell or Windows Terminal
    Press Windows Key → type PowerShell or Terminal → open it.
  2. Connect to your server
    Run:
    ssh USERNAME@SERVER_IP

    Example:
    ssh root@123.123.123.123
  3. Accept the SSH fingerprint
    Type yes and press Enter.
  4. Enter your password
    Characters will not be shown while typing - this is normal.

Alternative: You can also use PuTTY.

From Linux

  1. Open Terminal
  2. Run:
    ssh USERNAME@SERVER_IP
  3. Accept the fingerprint and enter your password

From macOS

  1. Open Terminal
  2. Run:
    ssh USERNAME@SERVER_IP
  3. Accept the fingerprint and enter your password

Connecting to a Windows server (Remote Desktop)

➡️ Click to show instructions

Windows servers are accessed using Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP).

From Windows

  1. Open Remote Desktop Connection
  2. Enter your server IP address
  3. Click Connect
  4. Enter your username and password

From Linux

Use an RDP client such as Remmina or FreeRDP.

  1. Install (Ubuntu example):
    sudo apt install remmina
  2. Connect using your server IP and credentials

From macOS

  1. Install Microsoft Remote Desktop
  2. Add your server IP
  3. Enter your login details

Video walkthrough

We also have a video walkthrough showing how to connect to your server:

If the video does not load, you can also watch it directly on YouTube here.


Troubleshooting connection issues

If you’re having trouble connecting to your server, see:

I Can't Connect to My Server, What Do I Do?


Server configuration


Next step: If you want to reinstall the operating system or deploy a different image, see How do I install my Contabo server for the first time?

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