---
title: "Windows OpenSSH: WSL as Default Shell Breaks Remote Commands"
domain: troubleshooting
category: networking
tags: [windows, openssh, wsl, ssh, majorrig, powershell]
status: published
created: 2026-04-03
updated: 2026-04-03
---

# Windows OpenSSH: WSL as Default Shell Breaks Remote Commands

## Problem

SSH remote commands fail with:

```
Invalid command line argument: -c
Please use 'wsl.exe --help' to get a list of supported arguments.
```

This happens on **every** remote command — `ssh-copy-id`, `ssh user@host "command"`, `scp`, etc. Interactive SSH (no command) may still work if it drops into WSL.

## Cause

Windows OpenSSH's default shell is set to `C:\Windows\System32\wsl.exe`. When SSH executes a remote command, it invokes:

```
<default_shell> -c "<command>"
```

But `wsl.exe` does not accept the `-c` flag. It expects `-e` for command execution, or no flags for an interactive session. Since OpenSSH hardcodes `-c`, every remote command fails.

## Fix

Change the default shell to PowerShell. Run this in an **elevated PowerShell** on the Windows host:

```powershell
New-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\OpenSSH" -Name DefaultShell -Value "C:\Windows\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell.exe" -PropertyType String -Force
Restart-Service sshd
```

If you need to run this from within WSL (e.g., over an interactive SSH session):

```bash
powershell.exe -Command "Start-Process powershell -Verb RunAs -ArgumentList '-Command New-ItemProperty -Path HKLM:\\SOFTWARE\\OpenSSH -Name DefaultShell -Value C:\\Windows\\System32\\WindowsPowerShell\\v1.0\\powershell.exe -PropertyType String -Force; Restart-Service sshd'"
```

## After the Fix

- Remote SSH commands now execute via PowerShell
- To run Linux commands, prefix with `wsl`:
  ```bash
  ssh user@host "wsl bash -c 'cd /mnt/d/project && git pull'"
  ```
- Interactive SSH sessions land in PowerShell (use `wsl` to enter Linux)
- `ssh-copy-id` still won't work for WSL's `authorized_keys` — Windows OpenSSH reads from `C:\Users\<user>\.ssh\authorized_keys`, not the WSL home directory

## Key Notes

- This registry key is the **only** supported way to change the OpenSSH default shell on Windows
- The change persists across reboots and Windows Updates
- If you previously set the default shell to `wsl.exe` to get a Linux-first SSH experience, be aware that it permanently breaks all remote command execution
- Tools like Ansible, `scp`, `rsync`, and `ssh-copy-id` all depend on `-c` working

## Related

- [Windows OpenSSH Server (sshd) Stops After Reboot](windows-sshd-stops-after-reboot.md) — sshd service startup issues
- [Microsoft Docs: OpenSSH DefaultShell](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/administration/openssh/openssh-server-configuration#configuring-the-default-shell-for-openssh-in-windows)