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To use PuTTY, open it, type your server’s IP address (for example 203.0.113.10) in Host Name (or IP address), keep Port 22 and Connection type SSH, then click Open. Click Accept on the host key alert, type your username (usually root) and your password. Save the settings under Saved Sessions so you can reconnect with a double-click.

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Before you start

  • Download PuTTY only from the official PuTTY download page. The MSI installer includes PuTTY and PuTTYgen (the key generator). The current release is 0.85.
  • Have your server IP, username and password ready. On a VPS, the IP is on your server page.
  • If you only need a command line, Windows already has the ssh command. See how to SSH into a server. PuTTY is useful if you prefer a window with saved sessions.

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How to connect with PuTTY

1

Enter the server address

Open PuTTY. In the Session category, type your server IP in Host Name (or IP address), for example 203.0.113.10. Leave Port at 22 unless you changed the SSH port. Make sure Connection type is SSH.
2

Save the session

Type a name such as web01 in Saved Sessions and click Save. Next time, double-click the name to connect.
3

Click Open

The first time, PuTTY shows a PuTTY Security Alert with the server’s host key fingerprint. Click Accept to trust it and store it. PuTTY won’t ask again unless the key changes.
4

Log in

At login as: type your username, for example root, and press Enter. Then type your password. Nothing appears while you type. To paste, right-click inside the PuTTY window.

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How to stop PuTTY disconnecting when idle

Some routers and firewalls drop idle connections. In PuTTY, open Connection and set Seconds between keepalives to 30 or 60. Go back to Session, select your saved session and click Save again so the setting is kept.

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How to log in with an SSH key in PuTTY

A key is safer than a password and lets you turn password logins off. PuTTY uses its own key format, .ppk.
1

Generate a key in PuTTYgen

Open PuTTYgen. Select EdDSA with Ed25519 (255 bits), or RSA with 4096 bits for very old servers. Click Generate and move the mouse over the blank area until the bar fills.
2

Protect and save the private key

Type a passphrase in Key passphrase and Confirm passphrase. Click Save private key and store the .ppk file somewhere safe. Never share this file.
3

Copy the public key

Select all the text in Public key for pasting into OpenSSH authorized_keys file and copy it. It is one line that starts with ssh-ed25519 or ssh-rsa.
4

Add the public key to the server

Log in with your password and run these commands. Replace the quoted text with the line you copied:
The key must stay on one line. SSH ignores the file if it is writable by other users, which is why the chmod commands matter.
5

Tell PuTTY to use the key

In PuTTY, load your saved session. Go to Connection > SSH > Auth > Credentials and click Browse next to Private key file for authentication. Select your .ppk file. Optionally set Connection > Data > Auto-login username to root or your user. Go back to Session and click Save.
6

Test it

Open the session. PuTTY asks for the key passphrase instead of the server password. If you still get a password prompt, the public key wasn’t added correctly.
On a VPS you can also add a public key in the VPS Control Panel before you rebuild the server.

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How to use an existing OpenSSH key in PuTTY

If you already made a key with ssh-keygen, open PuTTYgen, choose Conversions > Import key, select the private key (for example id_ed25519) and click Save private key to write a .ppk copy. The original file keeps working with the ssh command.

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Frequently asked questions

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PuTTY says “Network error: Connection timed out”. What does that mean?

PuTTY can’t reach the server at all. Check the IP and port, that the server is running, and that no firewall blocks the port. See SSH connection timed out.

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PuTTY says “Server refused our key”. Why?

The server doesn’t have your public key in ~/.ssh/authorized_keys for that user, the line is broken across several lines, or the file permissions are too open. See permission denied (publickey).

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How do I copy and paste in PuTTY?

Selecting text copies it. Right-click pastes. Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V don’t work the way they do in other Windows apps.

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Do I need PuTTY on Windows 11?

No. Windows 10 and 11 include the OpenSSH ssh command, which works in PowerShell. Use whichever you prefer.

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Can PuTTY transfer files?

PuTTY itself can’t. Use WinSCP or FileZilla, which can reuse your .ppk key.

VPS and dedicated server guides

Every guide in this section.

SSH into a server

Use the built-in ssh command.

Create and use SSH keys

Key login with ssh-keygen.

Disable password login

Allow keys only.

Transfer files with SFTP

WinSCP and FileZilla.
Checked against the official PuTTY manual (release 0.85) on 4 November 2026; key generation and .ppk conversion tested with PuTTYgen 0.81 on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS. Menu names can differ in older PuTTY releases.

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Need Extra Help?

If you encounter any issues, our support team is ready to assist:

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Last Updated: November 2026