# VALIDATION\$1ERROR\$1INVALID\$1SSH\$1KEY\$1NAME
Invalid SSH key name

## Overview


A cluster terminates with a `VALIDATION_ERROR_INVALID_SSH_KEY_NAME` error when you use an Amazon EC2 key pair that isn't valid to SSH into the primary instance. The key pair name might be incorrect, or the key pair might not exist in the requested AWS Region. For more information about key pairs, see [Amazon EC2 key pairs and Linux instances](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSEC2/latest/UserGuide/ec2-key-pairs.html) in the *Amazon EC2 User Guide*.

## Resolution


To resolve this error, create a new cluster with a valid SSH key pair name.

To troubleshoot the failed EMR cluster, refer to the `ErrorDetail` information returned from the `DescribeCluster` and `ListClusters` APIs. For more information, see [Error codes with ErrorDetail information in Amazon EMR](emr-troubleshoot-error-errordetail.md). The `ErrorData` array within `ErrorDetail` returns the following information for this error code:

**`ssh-key`**  
The SSH key pair name that you provided when you created the cluster.

**`public-doc`**  
The public URL of the documentation for the error code.

## Steps to complete


Perform the following steps to identify and fix the error:

1. Check your *keypair*.pem file and confirm that it matches the name of the SSH key that you see in the Amazon EMR console.

1. Navigate to the Amazon EC2 console. Verify that the SSH key name that you used is available in the AWS Region that your cluster uses. You can find your AWS Region next to your account ID at the top of the AWS Management Console.

1. Launch a new cluster with a valid SSH key name.