PSCP – PuTTY Secure Copy for Windows

PSCP (pscp.exe) is the command-line secure copy tool in the PuTTY suite for Windows. It transfers files between a Windows machine and Linux or Unix servers over an SSH-encrypted connection — using the same authentication method as PuTTY SSH sessions, including keys managed by Pageant. PSCP putty syntax is compatible with standard SCP clients.

Download PSCP

PSCP is available as a standalone executable from the official PuTTY release page:

chiark.greenend.org.uk – pscp.exe standalone download

Basic PSCP Syntax

pscp [options] source destination

# Uploading (Windows → Server):
pscp [options] local-file user@host:remote-path

# Downloading (Server → Windows):
pscp [options] user@host:remote-file local-path

Common Command-Line Switches

Switch	Description
`-P port`	Connect on a non-standard SSH port.
`-i key.ppk`	Use a specific PPK private key file for authentication.
`-r`	Recursive copy — transfer entire directory trees.
`-p`	Preserve file timestamps and permissions from the source.
`-q`	Quiet mode — suppress progress meter output.
`-batch`	Non-interactive: abort rather than prompt for passwords or host keys.
`-scp`	Force use of SCP protocol (vs. SFTP).
`-sftp`	Force use of SFTP protocol (more reliable for large/complex transfers).
`-pw password`	Password authentication (insecure — prefer key-based auth).
`-agent`	Use keys from a running Pageant agent.
`-hostkey fingerprint`	Accept a specific host key fingerprint (for scripting).

Upload a File to a Remote Server

# Upload a single file
pscp -i "C:keysserver.ppk" report.pdf admin@192.168.1.10:/home/admin/reports/

# Upload with key from Pageant (no -i needed if Pageant is running)
pscp report.pdf admin@192.168.1.10:/home/admin/reports/

# Upload to a specific non-default SSH port
pscp -P 2222 -i "C:keysserver.ppk" config.yaml user@example.com:/etc/app/

Download a File from a Remote Server

# Download a single file to current directory
pscp admin@192.168.1.10:/var/log/app.log .

# Download to a specific local path
pscp admin@192.168.1.10:/var/log/app.log "C:Logsapp.log"

# Download and preserve timestamps
pscp -p admin@192.168.1.10:/var/www/backup.tar.gz "D:Backups"

Recursive Directory Transfer

# Upload entire directory to remote server
pscp -r "C:Deployapp" user@example.com:/var/www/app/

# Download entire remote directory
pscp -r user@example.com:/var/www/app/ "C:LocalBackupapp"

Automated File Transfer in Batch Scripts

Use -batch to prevent the script from hanging on interactive prompts. Pre-accept the host key by connecting with PuTTY first, or use -hostkey to specify it:

@echo off
:: Automated backup script
pscp -batch -i "C:keysackup.ppk" ^
  user@backup.example.com:/var/backups/db_dump.sql ^
  "D:Backupsdb_dump_%DATE:~-4,4%%DATE:~-10,2%%DATE:~-7,2%.sql"

if %ERRORLEVEL% NEQ 0 (
    echo ERROR: Backup download failed >> backup.log
    exit /b 1
)
echo Backup successful >> backup.log

Using Wildcards to Transfer Multiple Files

# Download all .log files from a remote directory
pscp admin@example.com:"/var/log/*.log" "C:Logs"

# Note: When using wildcards, quote the remote path to prevent local shell expansion
# Wildcards are evaluated on the remote server by the SCP/SFTP subsystem

PSCP vs. PSFTP

Tool	Protocol	Best For
`pscp.exe`	SCP / SFTP	Single file transfers, batch scripts, automation pipelines.
`psftp.exe`	SFTP	Interactive file management, browsing directories, resuming transfers.

Tip: For scripted automation, PSCP is preferable because it exits with a status code that batch scripts and CI pipelines can check. Use PSFTP for interactive sessions where you need to navigate and manage remote directories.

Security Best Practices

Always use key-based authentication (-i key.ppk or Pageant) instead of -pw.
Use -batch in automated scripts to prevent hanging on unexpected prompts.
Restrict the SSH user account on the server to only the directories it needs access to.
Consider using chroot jails or ForceCommand in sshd_config to limit server-side access for automated file transfer accounts.