Software⏱️ 2 min read📅 2026-06-03

How to Fix: Error: Can't open display: (null) when using Xclip to copy ssh public key

Quick Answer: The issue is likely due to xclip not being able to find the ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub file. Try running the command with the full path to the file, e.g., xclip -sel clip < /home/user/.ssh/id_rsa.pub

📋 Table of Contents

  1. 🛠️ Step-by-Step Verified Fixes
  2. ✨ Wrapping Up

The error message 'Can't open display: (null)' when using Xclip to copy ssh public key is commonly caused by X11 not being properly configured on your system. This can occur if you are running a desktop environment without an X11 session or if the DISPLAY variable is not set.

🛠️ Step-by-Step Verified Fixes

Method 1: Enable X11 forwarding in SSH

  1. Step 1: Open your terminal and run the following command: ssh -o DisplaySocket=udp:1700:0.0.0.10 user@host, replacing 'user', 'host', and '1700:0.0.0.10' with your actual credentials.

Method 2: Install and configure X11

  1. Step 1: Install the xorg-x11-server package on your system using apt-get install xorg-x11-server. This will provide a basic X11 server.

Method 3: Use the clipboard manager

  1. Step 1: Install a clipboard manager like xclip, clipper, or xsel using apt-get install xclip, apt-get install clipper, or apt-get install xsel. These tools can handle the X11 display for you.

✨ Wrapping Up

By following these steps, you should be able to resolve the 'Can't open display: (null)' error when using Xclip to copy your ssh public key.

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