PuTTY

Simon Tatham · Open source · Network tools

PuTTY is a free and open-source network terminal client developed by Simon Tatham under the MIT license. It provides support for SSH, Telnet, Rlogin, and raw socket connections, allowing users to interact with remote servers securely or via serial interfaces. The suite also includes utility tools such as PuTTYgen for cryptographic key generation, PSFTP for secure file transfer, and Plink for automated command-line sessions.

Download for Windows

the.earth.li · Official website

✓ Official source (winget)
✓ File is identical to the one the publisher released (SHA256 matched)
✓ Last checked: Nov. 4, 2026
This is not a virus scan. Check on VirusTotal

Version: 0.85.0.0
Release date: Aug. 14, 2026
License: MIT
Installer type: wix

Install from the command line

How do I use this?

Type Terminal in the Start menu and open it, paste the command (Ctrl+V or right-click) and press Enter. It uses winget, Windows' own package manager, to install the program from its official source.

winget install --id PuTTY.PuTTY -e

SHA256 (file verification)

2213ebacf962b709411d654a40087508a694756bc4e41c5a1c24ad86596b2511

Open official page for Linux

flathub.org · Official website

✓ Community package (Flathub)
✓ Last checked: Nov. 4, 2026

Version: 0.85
Release date: Aug. 16, 2026
License: MIT
Installer type: flatpak

Install from the command line

How do I use this?

Open a terminal, paste the command and press Enter. Flatpak and Flathub must be set up; Linux Mint has them by default, for other distributions see flathub.org/setup.

flatpak install flathub uk.org.greenend.chiark.sgtatham.putty

Platform pages: Windows · macOS · Linux · Android

Security update: according to the publisher's release notes, PuTTY 0.85.0.0 fixes security vulnerabilities. If you use an older version, update.
Official release notes →

PuTTY 0.85.0.0: what's new?

Fixed a remotely triggerable use-after-free security issue in Pageant.
Fixed a remotely triggerable buffer overflow when using OpenSSH encrypt-then-MAC cipher modes.
Fixed a buffer overflow in private key decryption when handling maliciously constructed private keys.
Fixed denial-of-service vulnerabilities where a server could trigger a tight loop or a MITM could consume unlimited memory at startup.

Summarized from the publisher's release notes.

Official release notes →

Highlights

Supports SSH, Telnet, Rlogin, and raw TCP socket protocols.
Includes PuTTYgen for generating and managing SSH public and private key pairs.
Provides PSFTP for command-line file transfers over SFTP.
Offers Plink for command-line driven SSH automation.
Includes serial port (TTY) connection support.
Configurable terminal emulation with customized font, color, and window settings.

Who is it for?

PuTTY is designed for system administrators, developers, and network engineers who need to connect to remote servers or network equipment. It is commonly used for remote command-line management via SSH or Telnet as well as serial interface debugging.

Good to know before installing

The user interface is minimal and lacks modern features such as native tabbed sessions out of the box.
Key generation and secure file transfers require using separate accompanying tools like PuTTYgen and PSFTP rather than an all-in-one graphical interface.

Screenshots

How to install

Windows

Click the official download button on this page to get the installer.
Alternatively, open PowerShell or Command Prompt.
Run: winget install --id PuTTY.PuTTY -e
Follow the setup wizard or launch PuTTY from the Start menu.

Alternatives

Tera Term
OpenSSH
KiTTY

All PuTTY alternatives →

Frequently asked questions

Is PuTTY free and open source?

Yes, PuTTY is released as open-source software under the MIT license.

Can I use PuTTY to transfer files securely?

Yes, PuTTY includes the PSFTP command-line tool for secure file transfers using SFTP.

How do I load private keys into PuTTY?

You can use the included PuTTYgen utility to load or convert SSH private keys into PuTTY's native .ppk format.