In this article you will learn that How to recover my git passphrase? where is SSH passphrase stored? How to generate passphrase for SSH key? How do I start SSH agent in Windows?

If Git is not remembering your passphrase under Windows, there are a few possible reasons:

1. The wincred helper is not enabled: The wincred credential helper is used to store your Git credentials (including your passphrase) securely on Windows. To check if the wincred helper is enabled, run the following command in the Git Bash terminal:

git config --list | grep credential.helper

If the output does not include credential.helper=wincred, you can enable it by running:

git config --global credential.helper wincred

2. The credential helper settings are incorrect: If the wincred helper is enabled but still not remembering your passphrase, there may be a problem with the credential helper settings. You can check the settings by running the following command in the Git Bash terminal:

git config --global credential.helper

This will output the name of the credential helper that is currently configured. If it is not wincred, you can set it using:

git config --global credential.helper wincred

3. The SSH agent is not running: If you are using SSH to authenticate with your Git server, the SSH agent must be running in order to remember your passphrase. You can check if the agent is running by running the following command in the Git Bash terminal:

eval $(ssh-agent -s)

If the agent is not running, you can start it using:

ssh-agent -s

After starting the agent, you should add your SSH key to the agent by running:

ssh-add /path/to/your/private/key

4. The passphrase has expired: If your passphrase has expired, you will need to re-enter it the next time you use Git.

Unfortunately, it is not possible to recover a forgotten Git passphrase. The passphrase is used to encrypt your private key, and if you forget it, you will not be able to use your private key to authenticate with your Git server.

However, if you have a backup of your private key, you can create a new passphrase and re-encrypt your private key with the new passphrase. Here are the steps to do so:

1. Create a new passphrase:

ssh-keygen -p

2. Enter the file path to your private key when prompted.

3. Enter your new passphrase when prompted.

4. Re-encrypt your private key with the new passphrase:

ssh-keygen -p -f /path/to/your/private/key

5. Enter your new passphrase when prompted.

6. Update your Git server with your new public key.

Note that if you do not have a backup of your private key, you will need to generate a new one and update your Git server with your new public key.

Where is SSH passphrase stored?

The SSH passphrase is not stored as plaintext anywhere. Instead, it is used to encrypt the private key and is only kept in memory while the private key is in use. Once the private key is no longer in use, the passphrase is deleted from memory.

When you use SSH to connect to a server, the SSH client will prompt you for your passphrase in order to decrypt your private key. The decrypted private key is then used to authenticate with the server. The passphrase is not stored on disk or transmitted to the server in any form.

If you are using an SSH agent to manage your SSH keys, the passphrase may be temporarily stored in the agent's memory while the private key is in use. However, the passphrase is still not stored as plaintext and is deleted from memory once the private key is no longer in use.

It is important to choose a strong passphrase and to never share it with anyone, as it is the primary means of securing your private key and preventing unauthorized access to your accounts and data.

How to generate passphrase for SSH key?

To generate a passphrase for your SSH key, you can use the ssh-keygen command in a terminal. The passphrase is used to encrypt the private key, which adds an additional layer of security to your SSH key. Here are the steps to generate a passphrase:

1. Open a terminal window.

2. Type the following command and press Enter:

ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096 -C "your_email@example.com"

This command generates a new RSA key pair with a 4096-bit key length and the specified email address as a comment. You can replace the email address with your own.

3. When prompted to enter a file name, press Enter to accept the default file name and location.

4. When prompted to enter a passphrase, type a strong, memorable passphrase and press Enter. The passphrase should be at least 12 characters long and contain a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols.

5. When prompted to confirm the passphrase, type it again and press Enter.

Your SSH key has now been generated with a passphrase. The passphrase will be required every time you use the private key to authenticate with a server.

Note: that if you lose or forget your passphrase, you will not be able to use the private key. Make sure to choose a strong passphrase and to keep it in a safe and secure location.