Connect to a Linux VPS with PuTTY on Windows

PuTTY is a free, long-standing SSH client for Windows. It opens a terminal window on your Linux VPS so you can run commands as if you were sitting at the server. This guide walks through installing PuTTY, making your first connection, handling the host key prompt and saving your settings so the next login takes one double-click.

Before you start

• Your VPS IP address, username (usually root) and password. All three are on the service page in your VPS provider's control panel.
• The server must show as Running in your VPS provider's control panel.
• A Windows 10 or 11 PC. Windows also has a built-in SSH client; see Use the built-in OpenSSH client in Windows Terminal if you prefer not to install anything.

Install PuTTY

1. Go to the official PuTTY download page at chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/ (the site linked from putty.org).
2. Download the MSI installer for 64-bit x86 Windows, unless your PC uses an ARM processor.
3. Run the installer and accept the defaults. It installs PuTTY, PuTTYgen (key generator), Pageant (key agent) and the PSCP/PSFTP file transfer tools.

You can also install it with winget from PowerShell:

winget install PuTTY.PuTTY

Make your first connection

1. Open PuTTY from the Start menu. The PuTTY Configuration window opens on the Session page.
2. In Host Name (or IP address), type your server's IP, for example 203.0.113.10.
3. Leave Port as 22 unless you changed the SSH port on your server. If you did, enter the new port here.
4. Make sure Connection type is set to SSH.
5. Click Open.

You can also type root@203.0.113.10 in the host name box, so PuTTY fills in the username for you.

Accept the host key

The first time you connect, PuTTY shows a PuTTY Security Alert saying the server's host key is not cached. This is normal for a new server. The key is the server's identity; PuTTY stores it and warns you if it ever changes.

• Accept stores the key and connects.
• Connect Once connects without storing it.
• Cancel stops.

For extra safety, compare the fingerprint shown with the one on the server. If you can reach the server through the browser console in your VPS provider's control panel, run:

ssh-keygen -lf /etc/ssh/ssh_host_ed25519_key.pub

If the SHA256 fingerprint matches the one in PuTTY, click Accept.

Log in

A black terminal window opens with:

login as:

Type the username and press Enter. Then enter the password and press Enter.

Nothing appears while you type the password. No dots, no stars. This is normal for SSH. Type carefully, or paste it with a right-click (PuTTY's paste), then press Enter.

When you see a prompt such as root@vps1:~#, you are connected.

Save the session

Saving avoids retyping the details:

1. Reopen PuTTY. On the Session page, enter the IP and port.
2. Under Saved Sessions, type a name, such as web-server.
3. Change any settings you want (see below), then return to Session and click Save.

Next time, double-click the saved name to connect. To auto-fill the username, go to Connection → Data and enter it in Auto-login username before saving.

To stop idle connections dropping, go to Connection and set Seconds between keepalives to 30.

Change the font and colours

The default font is small. To change it:

1. Load your saved session (select it and click Load).
2. Go to Window → Appearance and click Change... next to Font settings. Pick a monospace font such as Consolas at 11 or 12 points.
3. Under Window, raise Lines of scrollback (for example to 10000) so you can scroll back through long output.
4. Under Window → Colours, adjust colours if the default blue is hard to read on a black background. Select ANSI Blue and choose a lighter shade.
5. Go back to Session and click Save.

Check it works

Once connected, run:

whoami
hostname
uptime

You should see your username, your server's hostname and how long it has been running. Type exit to log out cleanly.

Troubleshooting

• Network error: Connection timed out: the server is off, the IP is wrong or a firewall blocks the port. Check the server is running in your VPS provider's control panel and the IP is correct. See Fix SSH connection refused or timed out.
• Network error: Connection refused: the server is reachable but nothing listens on that port. Check you are using the right SSH port.
• Access denied after the password: the password is wrong or root login with a password is disabled. Copy the password again from your VPS provider's control panel, watching for spaces.
• Server refused our key: PuTTY offered an SSH key the server does not accept. See Use SSH keys in PuTTY with Pageant.
• Locked out entirely: use the browser console in your VPS provider's control panel to log in and fix SSH.

Next steps

• Swap passwords for keys: Set up SSH keys.
• Learn the first commands: Linux command line basics.