PuTTY Backup:- How to Export/Import PuTTY Sessions or Configuration?

PuTTY is a terminal emulator application which act as client for the SSH, rlogin, Telnet and row TCP computing protocols. PuTTY is used to remote login or to control your devices like router. You can connect your router using PuTTY with serial port. All putty session information is stored on Windows registry by default. If you have several Putty sessions stored on your desktop and would like to transfer those to another desktop you will need to transfer “HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\SimonTatham” registry key and value. Follow the below steps to do this.

To Backup/Export PuTTY’s Data

Follow the below steps to backup/export your putty’s data.

1. Launch your Registry Editor :- Press the Window’s Start button/Start Search box/ type in the open drop down window: regedit and press ok.

OR

Either OS press the Windows logo key on your Keyboard +r to launch Run, then type “regedit” in open drop down window.

2. Now navigate to, “HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\SimonTatham” and than right click on “SimonTatham” key,  Select “Export “and give the file name like putty_bkp.reg and save it to your location for later use. Than close editor.

3. After exporting SimonTatham key file, find “PUTTY.RND” ( SSH Cryptography file ).
In Windows 8 it is here : C:\Users\System_user_name\AppData\Roaming

OR

Search your C drive to find. It stored by default in “Application Data” folder.

Once find copy it and save it to your new location for later use.

Note : If you have never used PuTTy in SSH mode, this file may not be available.

To Import/Restore PuTTY’s Data

Follow the below steps to Import/Restore PuTTY’s data.

1. Download PuTTY.exe on your new system and open or close putty.exe at least once on your system you want to restore PuTTy’s data to.

2. Now double click on your exported putty_bkp.reg file and answer “yes” to add this information, then click on “OK” when prompted that it was installed successfully.

3. Now copy PUTTY.RND file to the same location where you found it here in Windows 8 : “C:\Users\System_user_name\AppData\Roaming”

To Remove PuTTY’s Data

1. Just delete all the above mentioned files. Launch registry editor and navigate to : “HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\SimonTatham” than right click on it and select “Delete”.

2. Remove putty.exe and its directory and locate your PUTTY.RND and delete it.

3. If you have no admin rights, you might even want to check if it left a Windows’s application logs.