Table of Contents
While the latest release as of the time of PuTTY does not have a built-in method to import or export sessions or settings, PuTTY does store its data in the Windows registry. So provided you have the correct access on the machine you can use the Windows registry to accomplish this task.
Putty stores its settings under the Windows Registry Key below, so let’s look at how we can access this data.
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\SimonTathamExporting Putty Settings from the Windows Registry
1. Search for regedit then open the Registry Editor.
2. Navigate to the following key from the left navigation bar or you can copy and paste the below string into the address bar then hit Enter.
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\SimonTatham3. Right click on the key SimonTatham then select Export.
4. Enter a desire name for the exported file. For example, we will export it to Desktop.
5. Copy the exported file to another computer to import the PuTTY settings and sessions.
6. To import PuTTY sessions, you will need to merge the registry file that was created in the previous step. On the new computers, right click on the file then select Merge to import to Registry.
7. Click OK to continue.
Finally, reopen PuTTY to make sure all sessions and settings are migrated.
Export PuTTY sessions and settings using command line
Alternatively, we can export the Registry key using command line such as Command Prompt or PowerShell.
1. Right click on the Windows Start icon then open an elevated PowerShell window.
2. Run the following command to export PuTTY sessions and configurations to the file C:\putty.reg.
regedit /E "C:\putty.reg" HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\SimonTathamCopy the exported file, double click in order to import sessions or settings on a new computer.
Not a reader? Watch this related video tutorial:
