How to install PuTTY on Windows, Linux and macOS

PuTTY is an open source SSH client that provides a graphical interface for managing secure connections. While Windows 10 and later include a built-in OpenSSH client, PuTTY offers advantages like a user-friendly GUI, portable standalone versions and advanced features for debugging and serial connections.

You will install PuTTY on Windows, Linux or macOS and configure it to manage SSH connections to your server. The installation process varies by operating system but takes only a few minutes.

Before you begin

Windows users need Windows 7 or later (Windows 10+ recommended).
Linux users need administrator access via sudo.
macOS users need Homebrew or MacPorts installed.

Install PuTTY on Windows

Windows users download an installer from the official PuTTY website. The installer includes PuTTY and Pageant, an SSH authentication agent that manages your private keys.

Download the installer.
Visit the official PuTTY website and click download PuTTY. This redirects you to a mirror site where you select the correct version for your system (32-bit or 64-bit).

PuTTY official website homepage showing the download PuTTY button — The PuTTY download page.

Choose your system architecture.
On the mirror site, download the installer that matches your Windows version. Most modern systems use the 64-bit installer.

PuTTY download mirror site displaying 32-bit and 64-bit installer options — Select the correct installer for your system.

Run the installer.
Double-click the downloaded file to launch the installation wizard. Accept the default settings or customise the installation location and file associations. We recommend associating .ppk files with PuTTY and Pageant for easier key management.

PuTTY installation wizard showing configuration options for file associations — Configure PuTTY installation options.

Launch PuTTY.
Once installation completes, open PuTTY from the Start menu. You can now configure SSH connections to your server.

PuTTY configuration window showing hostname and port fields for SSH connections — The PuTTY configuration window.

Install PuTTY on Linux

Most Linux distributions include OpenSSH by default. PuTTY remains useful for debugging, raw socket connections and serial port access. These instructions apply to Debian 12 and similar distributions.

Install PuTTY.
Open a terminal window and run the following command. This installs the main PuTTY application.

sudo apt-get install putty

Install additional tools.
Run this command to install PuTTY’s companion utilities, including key generation and conversion tools.

sudo apt-get install putty-tools

Launch PuTTY.
Type putty in your terminal to open the application. You can now configure your SSH connections.

Install PuTTY on macOS

macOS includes a built-in SSH client accessible through Terminal. You can install PuTTY using either Homebrew or MacPorts if you prefer its interface or need specific features.

Install via Homebrew

Open Terminal and run this command:

brew install putty

Install via MacPorts

Alternatively, use MacPorts with this command:

port install putty

After installation completes, launch PuTTY by typing putty in Terminal.

Wrapping up

You have installed PuTTY on your operating system and can now manage SSH connections through its graphical interface. The application provides session management, key authentication and advanced connection options across Windows, Linux and macOS.

Configure your first connection by entering your server’s hostname and port number. Our guide on connecting via SSH covers authentication and session management. All our hosting plans include SSH access for secure server management.