PuTTY Installation Instructions

PuTTY is an easy-to-use telnet and Secure Shell (SSH) program for Windows developed by Simon Tatham. NIU recommends PuTTY for connecting to the departmental Unix servers and other telnet/SSH hosts over the internet. PuTTY works on all versions of Windows. To download and install PuTTY, follow the instructions below.

  1. Download the installer

    Visit the PuTTY download page and click the appropriate installer.msi link to download the latest version of PuTTY. If you're not sure whether to get the 32-bit or the 64-bit version, read the FAQ response about bit versions.

    PuTTY .msi installer download links

  2. Install the application

    Run the .msi file that you downloaded, or if it was saved to your Downloads folder, navigate to that folder and double-click the .msi file to run it. Proceed through the setup steps.

    PuTTY setup wizard

    In most cases, it's best to install the application to the recommended default destination location.

    PuTTY destination folder

    Optionally, you can choose to create a Desktop shortcut for PuTTY.

    PuTTY product features

    PuTTY product features

    Click Install to start the installation and then Finish to complete it.