Filezilla Could Not Connect to Server Error: A Common Issue Resolved

As an avid user of Filezilla, I recently encountered an error that prevented me from connecting to my remote server using SFTP. The error message read 'filezilla could not connect to server' and was accompanied by two other messages: 'Pageant failed to answer challenge' and 'Could not connect to server.' After some troubleshooting and research, I was able to resolve the issue and reconnect to my server.

The problem occurred after I upgraded from Linux Mint 18.3 to Linux Mint 19.1. Prior to this upgrade, I had no issues connecting to my remote server using Filezilla. However, after the upgrade, I encountered the 'filezilla could not connect to server' error every time I tried to SFTP into my server.

To resolve the issue, I had to change the permissions of the key file found in ~/.ssh/. Specifically, I ran the command `chmod 600 ~/.ssh/id_rsa` to set the correct permissions. This simple solution worked like a charm and allowed me to reconnect to my remote server using Filezilla.

Interestingly, this issue did not occur on newer versions of Ubuntu, but only on Linux Mint Debian. Additionally, switching back to Linux Mint 18.3 resolved the problem, which suggests that there may be an incompatibility between certain versions of Linux Mint and Filezilla.

In my case, the solution was very simple once I identified the root cause of the issue. However, it took some trial and error to figure out what was causing the problem in the first place.

For those who are encountering the same 'filezilla could not connect to server' error, I recommend trying the simple solution outlined above. If you're still having trouble connecting to your remote server using Filezilla, there may be other factors at play that require further troubleshooting and research.

Filezilla could not connect to server error