PuTTY is a free, open-source terminal emulator that speaks SSH, Telnet, rlogin and raw serial connections. It has been the default way to reach a remote Linux box or a network switch console from Windows since long before most competitors existed, and it remains a single small executable with no installer required.
Why sysadmins still reach for PuTTY
Modern terminals like Windows Terminal now bundle an SSH client, but PuTTY for Windows stays popular because it is genuinely tiny, starts instantly, and saves connection profiles (host, port, key file, terminal colours) that you can launch with a double-click. It also speaks serial console and raw protocols that general-purpose terminals often skip, which matters when you are configuring a router, switch or embedded device over a physical console cable.
The PuTTY suite ships more than the terminal window: PuTTYgen generates and converts SSH key pairs, Pageant is an SSH agent that holds decrypted keys in memory for the session, and PSCP/PSFTP are command-line file-transfer tools built on the same SSH code.
PuTTY Features
- SSH, Telnet, rlogin, serial and raw connections from one client
- Saved sessions — store host, port, key and appearance settings, launch with one click
- PuTTYgen for generating and converting RSA/Ed25519 SSH key pairs
- Pageant SSH agent so a passphrase-protected key only needs unlocking once per session
- Port forwarding (local, remote and dynamic/SOCKS tunnels) built in
- Portable — a single .exe with no installer needed, runs from a USB drive
- Open source under the MIT licence, actively maintained since 1999
How to Install PuTTY on Windows
- Open the official download page. Use the download button on this page — it opens putty.org, the publisher's own site.
- Choose the MSI installer for the full suite (PuTTY, PuTTYgen, Pageant, PSCP, PSFTP), or just the standalone putty.exe if you only need the terminal.
- Run it — the MSI installs in seconds; the standalone exe needs no installation at all.
- Open PuTTY, enter a hostname and port (22 for SSH), and click Open. On first connection you will be asked to confirm the server's host key fingerprint.
- Save the session by typing a name under "Saved Sessions" and clicking Save, so you don't have to retype the host next time.
Is PuTTY really free?
Open Source. PuTTY is released under the MIT licence — the source code is public, and the compiled builds on putty.org are free to download and use, including commercially, with no account, activation or trial period.
How to download PuTTY safely
Use the request button on this page and we will email you the current link for www.putty.org — the publisher's own website — so you receive the authentic build. We do not host, mirror, patch or repackage this software in any way.
Avoid third-party "download manager" sites offering PuTTY. They commonly wrap the genuine installer in their own bundler, which is how adware and browser hijackers get onto a machine that the user believed was clean.
Alternatives to PuTTY
Other free developer tools software worth comparing before you decide:
WinSCP
Secure file transfer and remote editing for Windows.
Git
The distributed version control system behind most modern software teams.
Visual Studio Code
The most widely used free code editor, with a huge extension ecosystem.
Frequently asked questions
Is PuTTY free for commercial use?
Yes. The MIT licence permits commercial use without any fee or licence key. Many enterprise IT teams run PuTTY on every workstation.
Is PuTTY safe to download?
It is, provided you take it from putty.org (or the Chiark mirror linked from that site). Fake "PuTTY" installers bundling malware have circulated on search ads and unofficial download portals in the past — the button on this page opens the real publisher site.
Does PuTTY work on Mac?
There is no official macOS build. Mac and Linux users generally use the Terminal app's built-in `ssh` command instead, which covers the same core SSH use case.
What is the difference between PuTTY and PuTTYgen?
PuTTY is the terminal client you connect with. PuTTYgen is a separate tool bundled in the same installer that creates and converts SSH key pairs — you only run it when setting up key-based login, not for everyday connections.
Can PuTTY save my login password?
No, and this is deliberate — PuTTY does not store plaintext passwords. It can save a saved session's hostname and settings, and it can use an SSH key via Pageant so you are not typing a passphrase every time, but a raw password is never written to disk.
Tell us what went wrong — a person reads every message and replies. Corrections to this page are treated as priority fixes.
People also search for
The terms visitors use to find this page. Each one lands here because it describes the same program.
Searches from India
PuTTY is identical worldwide — these are search phrasings, not different downloads. Every one of them gets the same official build from www.putty.org.
