PuTTY introduction

PuTTY is a free, open-source terminal emulator and network client maintained by Simon Tatham and contributors. It excels at interactive SSH and Telnet sessions on Windows, with PuTTYgen for keys, PSCP and PSFTP for transfers, Plink for scripted calls, and Pageant serving as the SSH agent. Licensing is MIT.

Highlights:

• Proven SSH-2 stack with adjustable algorithms and session logging.
• Profiles that store hosts, ports, window layout, fonts, and colours.
• Portable-friendly Windows binaries plus Linux packages and macOS ports.
• Regular releases with checksums published for official builds.

Who uses it:

• Developers and admins: quick SSH hops into Linux hosts, routers, and cloud VMs.
• Support teams: serial consoles plus Telnet when legacy gear still requires it.
• Students: a lightweight path into remote shells without standing up a full Linux desktop.

Start learning: install walkthrough, first SSH login, PuTTYgen key work, and safety guidance live on the Hands-on guide for this site.

To download PuTTY, open the download hub or the main hub. For SSH keys, jump to PuTTYgen.