# PuTTY Application: Simon Tatham Also called putty ssh, simon tatham putty Simon Tatham, Productivity Simon Tatham's classic SSH, Telnet, and serial client. The process is putty.exe. The official Windows download is on chiark.greenend.org.uk, not a random putty.org mirror. ## What you need to know Official PuTTY is Simon Tatham's page, not random putty.org mirrors. putty.exe is the classic SSH and serial client. The real Windows binaries are on chiark.greenend.org.uk. Windows Terminal is a different product. WinSCP is a file GUI that often sits beside PuTTY. - **What is it?**: Classic SSH and serial client **Official download?**: Simon Tatham's chiark page **Same as Windows Terminal?**: No. Different product Feex says If someone mailed a putty.exe, I would open file location and check the publisher. Simon Tatham's official page is chiark.greenend.org.uk. I would not trust a putty.org lookalike. ## What is PuTTY? PuTTY is a standalone SSH, Telnet, rlogin, and serial client. WinSCP often uses its Pageant keys. Windows Terminal plus OpenSSH is a different stack. ## If you have never used it If you need SSH or a serial console on Windows, PuTTY is the classic small client. Download it only from Simon Tatham's page at chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/latest.html. putty.org lookalikes and random exe hosts are a common junk path. Windows Terminal is a different host. It is not this SSH GUI. ## What is it used for? **SSH to a server** Saved sessions in putty.exe. Windows Terminal can wrap OpenSSH instead. That is not this exe. **Serial consoles** COM ports for switches and boards. FileZilla cannot do this job. **Keys with Pageant** pageant.exe holds keys. WinSCP can talk to that agent. GitHub Desktop does not replace it. ## Who is it for? - Admins who still live in saved PuTTY sessions - People who need a serial terminal - Anyone who searched putty.org and should have used chiark instead ## Current status PuTTY (1998) is a current ssh and serial client from Simon Tatham. The vendor still points Windows users at https://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/latest.html. ## How old is it? Simon Tatham released PuTTY in 1998. It is older than Windows Terminal and older than OpenSSH in Windows. Current 0.8x builds are still this project. A 0.60 installer from a shareware portal is the wrong place. ## Versions Major channels first. Exact build numbers are not all verified here. PuTTY 64-bit MSI Standalone exe ## System requirements Values follow the publisher's public guidance. Workload still changes the real need. ### Minimum | Operating system | A current supported Windows 10 or Windows 11 release for current 0.8x builds | | ---------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | RAM | The client is tiny. The session is remote | ## Resource profile - **CPU demand**: Follows what you open inside the app **RAM demand**: Follows documents, tabs, or libraries ## Installed processes These executables belong to this product when it is installed. | putty.exe | PuTTY terminal window | | ----------- | -------------------------------- | | pageant.exe | PuTTY SSH agent on many installs | ## Startup components PuTTY does not need a tray. Pageant can start with Windows if you saved that shortcut. ## File locations | Typical install | C:\Program Files\PuTTY\\ | | --------------- | ------------------------ | ## File formats PPK ## Common problems ### Fake download sites putty.org-style mirrors and search ads have bundled junk. The official latest.html is on chiark.greenend.org.uk. ### Host key warnings PuTTY is telling you the server key changed. That is an SSH trust question, not a Windows Terminal theme. ## Getting unstuck ### Download only from chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/latest.html If the URL is not Simon Tatham's page, stop. Do not run that exe. ### Confirm publisher Simon Tatham on the signed build Program Files\PuTTY is the usual path. A putty.exe in Downloads from a banner is the case to delete. ### For files, use WinSCP or pscp, not a browser FTP PuTTY is the terminal. WinSCP is the SFTP window often paired with it. ## Alternatives Windows Terminal plus the inbox OpenSSH client. WinSCP for files. FileZilla if you only need FTP or SFTP in a different GUI. ## Official help and downloads Start with the vendor. Random exe sites are not a support channel. | Download | [www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/latest.html ](https://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/latest.html)Official installer or vendor page | | ------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Help | [the.earth.li/~sgtatham/putty/0.83/htmldoc/ ](https://the.earth.li/~sgtatham/putty/0.83/htmldoc/)Vendor support | | Official site | [www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/ ](https://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/)Start here, not a random exe host | | PuTTY home | [www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/ ](https://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/)Simon Tatham's official page | | Documentation index | [www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/docs.html ](https://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/docs.html)Current docs without pinning one mirror path | ## Related hardware Any current Windows PC can run PuTTY. A serial adapter is a USB device question, not a GPU question. ## Technical details Technical details Vendor version numbers change. This article does not pin a build. ## Related These entities connect to this article. Type is shown on every link. [WinSCP: Application](https://feex.it/wiki/software/winscp)[How to read Task Manager: Guide](https://feex.it/wiki/software/system/how-to-read-task-manager) ## Sources and verification Reviewed by Feex editorial. Last verified August 2026 Status: Feex Reviewed. [How we research](https://feex.it/wiki/research). - [PuTTY official site ](https://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/)· Vendor product page - [PuTTY help ](https://the.earth.li/~sgtatham/putty/0.83/htmldoc/)· Vendor support - [PuTTY latest download ](https://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/latest.html)· Official Simon Tatham Windows binaries - [Foxhole process map ](https://foxhole.feex.it/)· First-party samples on Windows PCs. Not a lab benchmark. ## Was this article useful? A yes or no is enough. Pick a reason if you want, or add a short note. Quick facts The short identity of this page. Specs, sources, and the full story stay in the article. - **Developer**: Simon Tatham **Category**: SSH and serial client **Process**: putty.exe **License**: MIT **First released**: 1998 **Official site**: [chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty](https://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/) **Mapped by Feex**: Seen on Windows PCs in Foxhole Feex Reviewed: Last verified August 2026 --- Source: [Canonical Feex Wiki page](https://feex.it/wiki/software/putty/) [Developer guide](https://feex.it/wiki/developers/) | [API policy](https://feex.it/developers/api-policy/) | [Agent guidance](https://feex.it/wiki/llms.txt)