ssh: connect to host example.com port 22: Connection timed out

SSH can’t reach the server within the timeout period.

Why this happens

A connection timeout means the TCP handshake never completed — your packets either never reached the server or the server never responded. This is almost always a network-level issue: a firewall silently dropping packets, the server being offline, or a routing problem between you and the host.

Fix 1: Check if the server is reachable

ping example.com
telnet example.com 22

Fix 2: Check if SSH is running on the server

sudo systemctl status sshd
sudo systemctl start sshd

Fix 3: Firewall blocking port 22

sudo ufw status
sudo ufw allow 22

Fix 4: Wrong port

ssh -p 2222 user@example.com

Fix 5: Cloud provider security group

If using AWS/GCP/Azure, check that the security group allows inbound TCP on port 22 from your IP.

Alternative solutions

Use verbose mode to pinpoint where the connection stalls:

ssh -vvv user@example.com

If your ISP blocks port 22, configure SSH over port 443 in ~/.ssh/config:

Host example.com
  Port 443

Prevention

• Add ServerAliveInterval 60 to ~/.ssh/config to prevent idle timeouts.
• Use a bastion host if connecting from networks that restrict outbound SSH.

Related resources

• How SSH Actually Works
• SSH cheat sheet
• Linux terminal cheat sheet

Related: SSH: Host Key Verification Failed · ERR_CONNECTION_REFUSED — How to Fix It