PuTTY icon
PuTTY icon

PuTTY

 1426 likes

Free and open-source terminal emulator for connecting to remote systems via SSH, Telnet, and SCP. Portable with no installation required, providing lightweight functionality. Ideal for secure connections with features like command line support and customizable settings. Works offline effortlessly.

PuTTY screenshot 1

License model

  • Free • Open Source

Application types

Platforms

  • Windows
  • Linux
  • BSD
  • PortableApps.com
  • ReactOS
Tunnels interface
PuTTY screenshot 2
PuTTY alternatives  
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4 / 5 Avg rating (16)
1426 likes
15comments
109 alternatives
0 news articles

Features

Suggest and vote on features

Properties

  1.  Lightweight
  2.  Configurable

Features

  1.  SSH
  2.  Built-in SSH client
  3.  Telnet client
  4.  Host management
  5.  Graphical User Interface
  6.  No registration required
  7.  Serial terminal
  8.  Support for SFTP
  9.  Works Offline
  10.  Logging
  11.  Ad-free
  12.  Command line interface
  13.  Session Management
  14.  Portable
  15.  Tabbed interface
  16.  Xterm emulation
  17.  Download Accelerator

 Tags

PuTTY News & Activities

Highlights • All activities

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Recent activities

  • nixatsnow and boomflex liked PuTTY
    •about 8 hours ago
  • App icon
    POX added PuTTY as alternative to Termix
    •14 days ago
  • NuncioBitis liked PuTTY
    •about 1 month ago
  • julthep rated PuTTY  
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    •about 1 month ago
  • julthep and FedePrescia liked PuTTY
    •about 1 month ago
  • Maoholguin updated PuTTY
    •about 1 month ago
  • cloudinger rated PuTTY  
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    •about 2 months ago
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PuTTY information

  • Licensing

    Open Source and Free product.

  • Rating

    Average rating of 4 (16 ratings)

  • Alternatives

    109 alternatives listed

  • Supported Languages

    • English

AlternativeTo Categories

OS & Utilities, Network & Admin, File Sharing

Popular alternatives

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Our users have written 15 comments and reviews about PuTTY, and it has gotten 1426 likes

PuTTY was added to AlternativeTo by Brian on Apr 15, 2009 and this page was last updated Feb 13, 2025.

Comments and Reviews

   
 Post comment/review
Comment summary: PuTTY is praised for its reliability, especially for SSH and terminal emulation. However, criticisms include lack of tab functionality, outdated key conversion requirements, and a cumbersome user interface. Users highlight its stability but note the preference for alternatives like Asbru or PAC Manager due to better UX. PuTTY's unavailability for macOS and Linux without workarounds is another drawback. Some appreciate its long-standing effectiveness despite dated elements.
b4st1en
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Top positive comment •Jun 20, 2022

I think this is the tool I've been using for the longest time, several decades (yes from 2 you can say several). Thanks so much for your very good job!

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dandv
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Top negative comment •Feb 10, 2017

PuTTY doesn't have tabs. This is super annoying. (Asbru, PAC Manager, SecureCRT, Zoc do)

It can't use standard OpenSSH keys. You must convert them to its own PPK key format. All other SSH clients use standard keys.

To just connect to a host, the information is spread across THREE option pages:

  1. Session - hostname and port
  2. Connection - Data - autologin username
  3. Connection - SSH - Auth - Private key file.

This is just stupid UX. Sorry. In Asbru, ZOC or PAC Manager, you have all the login information on one page.

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Roberto
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Positive comment •Aug 14, 2024

I've been using this tool on a daily basis for years. It's very reliable. It can be used for SSH and also regular terminal emulation. The latter is especially useful to work with serial ports.

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Nuncio Bitis
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Negative comment •Jun 5, 2023

Contrary to the description, Putty is for Windows only. It doesn't have an installer for Linux or Mac.

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Guest
Comment •Feb 5, 2023

i download this program couple hours ago but i dont understand how to get password when im try get in program keep sayin acces denied does anybody know pls help

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Tom Margrave
Comment •Feb 5, 2020

This help me in so many ways to list.

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Guest
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Positive comment •Oct 10, 2019

I don´t like it, yet. I would like to test it

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7 of 15 comments

What is PuTTY?

PuTTY is a free and open-source terminal emulator, serial console and network file transfer application. It supports several network protocols, including SCP, SSH, Telnet, rlogin, and raw socket connection. It can also connect to a serial port.

A simple, lightweight client for connecting to a Linux shell from your Windows machine!

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