putty.exe – Download and Run PuTTY EXE on Windows

putty.exe is the standalone PuTTY executable for Windows — no MSI installer, no administrator rights, and no system-level changes. The putty.exe download is a single self-contained file you can run directly after verifying its SHA-256 hash, making it the preferred putty exe option for portable setups and restricted workstations.

The official release page is at chiark.greenend.org.uk. After downloading, verify the SHA-256 hash using PowerShell before running the file — see the download verification guide for the exact steps.

Available putty.exe Versions

Filename	Architecture	Size (approx)	Recommended
`putty.exe`	x86-64 (64-bit Intel/AMD)	~1.1 MB	Yes — for all modern PCs
`putty-arm64.exe`	ARM64 (Windows on ARM)	~1.0 MB	Yes — for Surface Pro X, etc.
`putty-x86.exe`	x86 (32-bit)	~0.9 MB	Legacy only

How to Run putty.exe

Download putty.exe from the official page.
Verify the SHA-256 hash in PowerShell: Get-FileHash putty.exe -Algorithm SHA256
Compare the hash against the checksums listed on the official releases page.
Double-click putty.exe to open the configuration dialog.
Enter a hostname or IP, select SSH, and click Open.

Command-Line Usage

PuTTY can be launched from the command line with arguments to skip the configuration dialog entirely:

# Open an SSH session directly
putty.exe -ssh user@example.com

# Connect on a non-default port
putty.exe -ssh user@example.com -P 2222

# Load a saved session profile
putty.exe -load "production-web-01"

# Connect with a specific PPK key
putty.exe -ssh -i "C:keysserver.ppk" user@example.com

# Open a serial connection
putty.exe -serial COM3 -sercfg 9600,8,n,1,N

PuTTY Command-Line Flags Reference

Flag	Description
`-ssh`	Use SSH protocol (recommended).
`-telnet`	Use Telnet protocol.
`-serial`	Use serial (COM port) connection.
`-P port`	Connect on specified port number.
`-l username`	Set login username.
`-pw password`	Set password (insecure — use key auth instead).
`-i key.ppk`	Authenticate with specified PPK private key.
`-load session`	Load a saved session profile by name.
`-v`	Verbose mode — show detailed connection diagnostics.
`--version`	Display the PuTTY version number and exit.

Where putty.exe Stores Configuration

When run as a standalone EXE (without MSI installation), PuTTY stores all session profiles and settings in the Windows registry at:

HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareSimonTathamPuTTY

For fully portable, registry-free operation, create an empty file named putty.ini in the same directory as putty.exe. PuTTY will then write configuration to that file instead. See the portable setup guide for details.

Creating a Desktop Shortcut

To create a shortcut that opens a specific server immediately:

Right-click the Desktop and select New → Shortcut.
Enter the target path including arguments, e.g.:
"C:\tools\putty.exe" -ssh user@example.com
Name the shortcut (e.g., Production Server) and click Finish.

See the PuTTY configuration guide to save named sessions so you can load them via the -load flag or directly from the session list.