diff --git a/dlt/helpers/dbt/profiles.yml b/dlt/helpers/dbt/profiles.yml
index cccab0d369..2414222cbd 100644
--- a/dlt/helpers/dbt/profiles.yml
+++ b/dlt/helpers/dbt/profiles.yml
@@ -122,7 +122,7 @@ snowflake_pkey:
       role: "{{ env_var('DLT__CREDENTIALS__ROLE', '') }}"
       schema: "{{ var('destination_dataset_name', var('source_dataset_name')) }}"
       warehouse: "{{ env_var('DLT__CREDENTIALS__WAREHOUSE', '') }}"
-      private_key: "{{ env_var('DLT__CREDENTIALS__PRIVATE_KEY') }}"
+      private_key: "{{ env_var('DLT__CREDENTIALS__PRIVATE_KEY') }}" # base64 encoded private key
       private_key_passphrase: "{{ env_var('DLT__CREDENTIALS__PRIVATE_KEY_PASSPHRASE', '') }}"
       threads: 4
 
diff --git a/docs/website/docs/dlt-ecosystem/destinations/snowflake.md b/docs/website/docs/dlt-ecosystem/destinations/snowflake.md
index 4b25ef538d..084ed40d9e 100644
--- a/docs/website/docs/dlt-ecosystem/destinations/snowflake.md
+++ b/docs/website/docs/dlt-ecosystem/destinations/snowflake.md
@@ -78,24 +78,21 @@ You can also pass credentials as a database connection string. For example:
 destination.snowflake.credentials="snowflake://loader:<password>@kgiotue-wn98412/dlt_data?warehouse=COMPUTE_WH&role=DLT_LOADER_ROLE"
 ```
 
-In **key pair authentication** you replace password with a private key exported in PEM format. The key may be encrypted. In that case you must provide a passphrase.
+In **key pair authentication** you replace password with a private key string that should be in Base64-encoded DER format, representing the key bytes. The key may be encrypted. In that case you must provide a passphrase.
 ```toml
 [destination.snowflake.credentials]
 database = "dlt_data"
 username = "loader"
 host = "kgiotue-wn98412"
-private_key = """-----BEGIN ENCRYPTED PRIVATE KEY-----
-    MIIEvAIBADANBgkqhkiG9w0BAQEFAASCBKYwggSiAgEAAoIBAQDz5LZoccgKZ4jH
-    ...
------END PRIVATE KEY-----
+private_key = "LS0tLS1CRUdJTiBFTkNSWVBURUQgUFJJ....Qo="
 private_key_passphrase="passphrase"
-"""
 ```
+> You can easily get the base64-encoded value of your private key by running `base64 -i <path-to-private-key-file>.pem` in your terminal
 
-We allow to pass private key and passphrase in connection string. Please url encode the private key and passphrase.
+If you pass a passphrase in the connection string, please url encode it.
 ```toml
 # keep it at the top of your toml file! before any section starts
-destination.snowflake.credentials="snowflake://loader:<password>@kgiotue-wn98412/dlt_data?private_key=<url encoded pem>&private_key_passphrase=<url encoded passphrase>"
+destination.snowflake.credentials="snowflake://loader:<password>@kgiotue-wn98412/dlt_data?private_key=<base64 encoded pem>&private_key_passphrase=<url encoded passphrase>"
 ```
 
 ## Write disposition