Connecting to SSH Server from Windows

Here’s a list of steps to connect with an SSH server from a Windows PC using SSH key authentication.

Open the Putty application, Putty.exe.

From the GUI, set the hostname and port of the SSH service, and come up with a memorable name for the session, and save it:

Next, drill down the left-hand tree to the Data page under Connection, and set the Auto-Login username to the username the SSH key belongs to:

Navigate to the Auth page at Connection/SSH/Auth, and set the Private Key file path:

Go back to the top of the tree, and click Session. Then, save the session, same as before, to capture the updated configuration.

Now, the connection can be tested.

Load the saved session, and click Open, to attempt a new connection with the SSH server.

If successful, it will login and present a regular terminal prompt, same as would happen during password authentication.

The server will display the name of the used key, to indicate SSH key authentication was used.