About PuTTY

PuTTY is a free, open-source terminal emulator and network client maintained by Simon Tatham and contributors. It is best known for interactive SSH and Telnet sessions on Windows, and is complemented by PuTTYgen for key generation, PSCP and PSFTP for file transfer, Plink for non-interactive use, and Pageant as an SSH agent. The software is released under the MIT Licence.

Core strengths:

• Stable SSH-2 implementation with configurable algorithms and session logging.
• Session profiles: save hosts, ports, window layout, fonts, and colours.
• Portable-friendly Windows executables plus Linux and macOS packages via distributions and ports.
• Active maintenance and published checksums for official binaries.

Who uses PuTTY?

• Developers and admins: quick SSH into Linux servers, routers, and cloud VMs.
• Support teams: serial console access and Telnet where still required.
• Students: lightweight introduction to remote shells without a full Linux desktop.

Getting started: step-by-step install, first SSH session, PuTTYgen keys, and safety tips are on the How to use page on this site.

To download PuTTY, visit the download page or the main page. For SSH keys, open PuTTYgen.