The Wayback Machine - https://web.archive.org/web/20200710234608/https://docs.github.com/en/github/authenticating-to-github/deleted-or-missing-ssh-keys
👋 We've unified all of GitHub's product documentation in one place! Check out the content for REST API, GraphQL API, and Developers. Learn more on the GitHub blog.

Deleted or missing SSH keys

As a security precaution, GitHub automatically deletes SSH keys that haven't been used in a year.

GitHub automatically deletes inactive SSH keys to help keep accounts safe, such as after someone leaves a job or loses a computer.

You can check if you haven't used an SSH key in a year by reviewing your account's security log. For more information, see "Reviewing your security log."

After your inactive SSH key is deleted, you must generate a new SSH key and associate it with your account. For more information, see "Generating a new SSH key and adding it to the ssh-agent" and "Adding a new SSH key to your GitHub account."

Ask a human

Can't find what you're looking for?

Contact us