Everything below stays on this site. Use the green Download PuTTY button or the Download page to get the installer; those controls use this site’s download flow only.
1. Install on Windows
Download the MSI that matches your PC (64-bit is typical for current Windows).
Run the installer and accept the default components so you get putty.exe, puttygen.exe, pscp.exe, psftp.exe, plink.exe, pageant.exe, and puttytel.exe.
Open the Start menu → PuTTY folder → PuTTY to launch the client.
2. Your first SSH session
In Host Name (or IP address), type the server name or address your administrator gave you.
Set Port to 22 unless you were told a different port.
Choose SSH as the connection type.
Optionally type a session name under Saved Sessions and click Save.
Click Open. On first connect, PuTTY shows a host key fingerprint—confirm it with your administrator before you click Accept.
Log in with your username; use password or key-based auth as your server requires.
3. PuTTYgen (SSH keys)
Open PuTTYgen from the Start menu (installed with PuTTY on Windows).
Choose a key type (for example RSA or Ed25519) and enough bits if RSA (2048 or 4096 are common).
Click Generate and move the mouse in the blank area until the bar fills.
Set an optional but recommended Key passphrase and confirm it.
Click Save private key for a .ppk file, and Save public key if you need a separate public file.
Copy the text in Public key for pasting into OpenSSH authorized_keys file when your server expects that format.
In PuTTY, go to Connection → SSH → Auth → Credentials and browse to your .ppk for key-based login, or load the key into Pageant if you use the agent.
More detail on key formats is on the PuTTYgen page on this site.
4. Linux and macOS (short)
Package names differ by distribution. You usually install a package named putty for the graphical client and putty-tools (or equivalent) for puttygen on the command line. On macOS, common package managers can install the same tools—use whichever your organization supports.
5. PSCP and PSFTP (files)
PSCP copies files over SCP from a command prompt; you pass the host, remote path, and local path similar to other SCP clients. PSFTP opens an interactive SFTP session so you can get and put files. Both use the same host keys and authentication you configured for SSH.
6. Stay safe
Only use installers you intentionally obtained from this site’s download flow if that is your policy.
Always verify the host key on first connect when connecting to important servers.
Protect private keys with a passphrase and restrict who can read the key files.
7. Technical: registry, files, and commands
Administrators often need exact paths PuTTY uses on disk or in the registry. The blocks below mirror the technical reference on the home page.
