How to install Putty SSH Client on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS

Putty is the most widely used SSH and telnet client for Microsoft Windows operating systems. It is used to remotely access and configure devices such as servers, switches and routers. Putty, a free and open source utility, is also very popular among Linux users.

Another reason for Putty's popularity is its included features like session management, proxy session, session logging, and language settings. It also supports various network protocols including SSH, telnet, SCP, rlogin, etc.

Install Putty on Ubuntu

Follow the steps below to install Putty on Ubuntu:

Step 1: Activate the Universe repository

To install Putty, you need to ensure that the Universe repository is enabled on your Ubuntu system. If it is not already enabled, you can activate it by using the following command in Terminal:

$ sudo add-apt-repository universe

When prompted for a password, enter the sudo password.

Step 2: Install Putty

After activating the Universe repository, you can now install Putty on your system. Enter the following command in Terminal to do so:

$ sudo apt install putty

When prompted for a password, enter the sudo password.

When you run the above command, the system will prompt for confirmation that you want to continue with the installation or not. Press y to continue, after that the Putty installation will be started on the system.

Once done, you can verify the installation via the following command in Terminal:

$ putty --version

You should see a result similar to the following:

Step 3: Launch Putty

Once installed, you're ready to launch and use Putty on your Ubuntu system. You can launch Putty through the command line terminal application or via the GUI.

To launch Putty through the command line, use the following command in Terminal:

$ putty

To launch Putty via GUI, press the super key on your keyboard and type putty in the search bar. When the Putty icon appears, click on it to launch the tool.

Putty for Linux looks like this. It looks like the Windows version but with Ubuntu theme and colors.

Now, to connect to a remote host, just enter the IP address or host name and enter the port number. Then click Open to initiate the connection.

When connecting the remote system for the first time, you will see the following PuTTY Security Alert dialog box . Click the Accept button to connect to the remote server.

Now, the following Terminal window will appear prompting you to enter the username and password for the remote system. Enter the username and password, press Enter , then you will log into the remote system.

Eliminate Putty

In case you want to remove Putty from your system, you can do it via the following command in Terminal:

$ sudo apt remove putty

After running the above command, the system may ask for confirmation that you want to continue the process. Press y to continue, then the Putty application will be removed from the system.

Isabella Humphrey

Update 02 October 2020