Download file to local computer via SCP while ssh connection to remote computer [closed]

Question

I keep getting an error when trying to download a file from a remote computer when connected via SSH.

I'm using a Mac and connecting via terminal.

I type the following:

scp username@host : /path/to/hosts/file/host_file.txt ~/desktop 

I then enter my password and get the following error:

scp: .: not a regular file cp: cannot create regular file '/host_file.txt': permission denied /directory/user/desktop: no such file or directory 

Any help?

It appears to be trying to save it to a directory on the remote system but I'm not sure.

**update:

I removed space on either side of the : It now appears to download but I don't see anything on my desktop.

Thanks for all your help.

Answer 1

Instead of

scp username@host : /path/to/hosts/file/host_file.txt ~/desktop 

remove the spaces surrounding the :.

scp username@host:/path/to/hosts/file/host_file.txt ~/desktop 

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Edit:

I keep getting an error when trying to download a file from a remote computer when connected via SSH.

You shouldn't run the scp command when you are already sshed into the server --- that just downloads the file from the server... to the server.

You should run the scp command directly from your mac.