PuTTY

0.81 SSH and telnet client for Windows

Tina de Pierre

Free and open-source terminal emulator, often used for secure remote access to servers, routers and other network devices.

Free and open source telnet client software download, reviewed by Tina de Pierre
SSH, Telnet and Rlogin client with an xterm terminal emulator in order to provide an environment for advanced users - Screenshot of PuTTY
Command-line interface logging options which can be all session output or just SSH packets and raw data - Screenshot of PuTTY
Several options available for controlling terminal emulation including auto wrap, DEC origin - Screenshot of PuTTY
Establish a secure connection - Screenshot of PuTTY
Command-line interface - Screenshot of PuTTY
Cross-platform - Screenshot of PuTTY
Use xterm terminal for data transfer with auto-login username and custom environment variables - Screenshot of PuTTY
Connect to remote systems via a web proxy with support for HTTP, Socks 4, Socks 5 or local - Screenshot of PuTTY
Connect to classic Telnet systems with adjustments available for BSD, RFC 1408 and active/passive negotiation modes - Screenshot of PuTTY
Enable different encryption tools such as AES, 3DES, Blowfish and others with the option of using legacy single-DES with SSH-2 - Screenshot of PuTTY
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Highly flexible SSH client with Xterm terminal emulation and support for Rlogin, SFTP, Telnet and Serial connections.

PuTTY is by far the most lightweight and handy SSH client available for free. As a freeware application, it is also extremely portable. It includes an Xterm terminal emulator.

Options for this excellent client include SSH authentication options including cipher control, general TCP/IP settings and more. These options can be saved for future connections as a saved session. The display of the terminal window can be customized in several aspects like the color and font, number of lines of history to save in a current session, selection options and more.

The main settings window for PuTTY include a number of useful options like terminal size (columns and rows), support for resizing terminal window, custom sounds and control of cursor selection like copy and paste with mouse clicks. The client supports all types of standard encryption keys, secure FTP and SCP and X11 forwarding. Additionally, it supports both IPv4 and IPv6 protocols.

It comes with support for Raw, Telnet, Rlogin, SSH and Serial connection types with support for custom, non-standard ports.

PuTTY is highly recommended for any administrator or anybody who needs an SSH or Telnet client quick. It supports both SSH, SSH2 and an impressive list of other protocols which makes it a must-have for anybody needed to interact with remote systems be it Linux, BSD or even with other devices connected to a network like an Android phone.

Features of PuTTY

  • Configuration: Offers a wide range of configuration options.
  • Customization: Offers an extensive range of customization options.
  • File transfer: Supports SFTP, SCP and FTP protocols.
  • Keyboard shortcuts: Allows custom keyboard shortcuts.
  • Logging: Includes log file support.
  • Printing: Supports local and remote printing.
  • Proxy support: Supports HTTP, SOCKS and Telnet proxies.
  • SSH: Supports SSH, Telnet and rlogin protocols.
  • Scripting: Supports scripting to automate tasks.
  • Security: Includes support for public-key authentication and Kerberos.
  • Terminal emulation: VT100, VT102, VT220 and ANSI terminal emulation.
  • Tunnelling: Supports port forwarding through SSH.
  • X11 forwarding: Securely forwards X11 sessions over SSH.

Compatibility and License

PuTTY is released under the MIT License for the Windows operating system from SSH/telnet clients. This means you can download, install, run and share the program freely without any restrictions. The source code is also open which means anybody can freely modify this software.

What version of Windows can PuTTY run on?

PuTTY can be used on a computer running Windows 11 or Windows 10. Previous versions of the OS shouldn't be a problem with Windows 8 and Windows 7 having been tested. It comes in both 32-bit and 64-bit downloads.

Other operating systems: The latest PuTTY version from 2024 is also available for Mac.

Filed under:
  1. PuTTY Download
  2. Free SSH/Telnet Clients
  3. Open source and GPL software
  4. Telnet Client Software
PuTTY has been picked by our editors as excellent.
PuTTY has been tested for viruses and malware.
We have tested PuTTY 0.81 against malware with several different programs. We certify that this program is clean of viruses, malware and trojans.