Mount and unmount on Linux
sudo apt install sshfs
mkdir -p ~/mnt/server
sshfs user@server:/var/www ~/mnt/serverNow ls ~/mnt/server shows the folder on the server, and files you write there are written on the server. A path without a leading slash, as in server:project, starts from your home folder there. On Fedora the package is called fuse-sshfs.
fusermount3 -u ~/mnt/serverOn older systems the command can be fusermount without the 3. If you are inside the folder or a program has a file open, it fails with Device or resource busy. Leave the folder and try again.
Your usual keys, ~/.ssh/config entries and port options work:
sshfs server:project ~/mnt/server
sshfs -p 2222 user@server:/srv ~/mnt/server
sshfs -o IdentityFile=~/.ssh/id_work user@server:/srv ~/mnt/serverUseful options
| Option | What it does |
|---|---|
-o reconnect | Reconnects after a dropped connection |
-o ServerAliveInterval=15,ServerAliveCountMax=3 | Notices a dead connection, instead of hanging |
-o ro | Mounts read-only |
-o idmap=user | Shows the remote user's files as yours |
-o follow_symlinks | Follows symlinks on the server |
-o allow_other | Lets other local users see the mount |
A practical everyday command:
sshfs -o reconnect,ServerAliveInterval=15,ServerAliveCountMax=3 user@server:/srv ~/mnt/serverallow_other as an ordinary user fails with this message until you add user_allow_other to /etc/fuse.conf:
fusermount3: option allow_other only allowed if 'user_allow_other' is set in /etc/fuse.confWhen the connection breaks
We killed the session on the server in three setups:
| Setup | Result |
|---|---|
| Plain mount, session killed | sshfs ended and the folder was empty again, with no mount |
-o reconnect, session killed | The next ls worked over a new connection |
sshfs process killed with kill -9 | ls: cannot access ...: Transport endpoint is not connected |
In the last case fusermount3 -u ~/mnt/server cleans it up, and you can mount again.
With reconnect, a login that needs a typed password cannot reconnect by itself, so use a key without a prompt or an agent.
Common surprises
- The local folder's contents disappear from view. sshfs mounted over a folder holding a file in our test, and hid that file until the unmount. Use an empty folder.
- Files show a different owner. Without
idmap=user, numeric owners from the server are shown as they are, such as 1000. In our test withidmap=user, they appeared as the local user. - It is not a local disk. Every read and write goes over the network. Tools that walk many files, such as
git statusor a code indexer, can be slow. - The path must exist. A wrong path fails right away with
server:nosuch: No such file or directory.
macOS: macFUSE
macFUSE adds FUSE support, and it does not include file systems by itself. Its site offers an SSHFS package as a separate download. Install macFUSE first, then SSHFS.
macFUSE has two backends. The kernel extension is the default, and on Apple silicon it needs a restart into Recovery the first time, to allow third party extensions. According to the macFUSE documentation, the FSKit backend on macOS 26 runs without that change: add the mount option -o backend=fskit. Unmount with:
umount ~/mnt/serverProject status
The SSHFS README says it has no active regular contributors, and that its maintainer applies pull requests and makes releases but fixes only high-impact issues. It works, as our test shows, but keep this in mind for anything critical. For regular transfers, rsync is often a better fit.
To choose between the tools, see scp vs sftp vs rsync.
Questions
Does sshfs need anything on the server?
Only a normal SSH server with SFTP enabled. If sftp fails with subsystem request failed, see that error's guide.
Why is sshfs slow?
Every read and write goes over the network. Tools that walk many files, such as git status or a code indexer, feel it most. Copy files with rsync when you need speed.
How do I fix Transport endpoint is not connected?
The sshfs process died and left the mount behind. Run fusermount3 -u on the folder, or umount on macOS, then mount again. Add -o reconnect to recover from dropped connections.