Where are PuTTY sessions stored?

In the registry under HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\SimonTatham\PuTTY\Sessions — one key per saved session. The regedit /e command above writes all of them to a single .reg file.

Do I need PuTTY installed to export?

No. The sessions live in your user registry hive, so the export works even after PuTTY itself is gone — including on a machine where you only have the portable putty.exe.

Will my .ppk keys work?

After a one-time conversion. PuTTYgen exports an OpenSSH-format key that Tempest imports directly; the original .ppk keeps working in PuTTY if you want to run both for a while.

What about sessions that use a proxy or a jump host?

PuTTY stores those as proxy settings the import does not map, so re-add them on the host once. Both are first-class fields in Tempest rather than a command line you paste.

The free plan covers SSH, Mosh, SFTP, FTP, S3 and WebDAV on one synced device — the import itself is free, however many hosts are in the file. Pro adds unlimited synced devices, jump hosts, port forwarding, the SFTP editor, RDP, VNC, Kubernetes, serial and RCON.

Migrate from PuTTY

Every PuTTY saved session, in one .reg file

PuTTY keeps its sessions in the Windows registry, which is why moving PCs has always meant retyping them. Tempest reads the registry export directly — one command, one import, the whole list.

Download Tempest See pricing

Windows, macOS, Linux, Android & iOS. Free plan available.

Tempest host list rebuilt from a PuTTY registry export

One command

Export the sessions key, import the file

No third-party exporter, no manual transcription. Windows already ships the tool that gets your sessions out.

Run this in a Command Prompt — regedit /e putty-sessions.reg HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\SimonTatham\PuTTY\Sessions

In Tempest: host list, Import, choose PuTTY, and select the .reg file.

Every saved session in the file is parsed at once — names with spaces are decoded properly, and PuTTY's Default Settings entry is skipped.

Review the parsed list and untick anything stale before it is written.

The honest part

Nothing is lost, because PuTTY never stored it

This is the easiest of the migrations: PuTTY does not save passwords in the first place, so the export contains everything PuTTY knew about a host.

Comes across: session name, hostname, port, and username.

Private keys stay yours — convert .ppk to OpenSSH format in PuTTYgen (Conversions, Export OpenSSH key) and attach it once.

Serial, Telnet and raw sessions in the file are shown unticked: they parse as addresses, but they belong in Tempest as Serial or Telnet connections, which are separate types. Serial terminal

From then on the list syncs zero-knowledge encrypted, so the next new PC is a sign-in rather than another regedit. How E2EE sync works

After the move

The tools that used to sit next to PuTTY

Most PuTTY setups are really PuTTY plus WinSCP plus a notepad of hostnames plus a plink line for the bastion. Those are features here, not extra windows.

SFTP browser and editor in the same window as the shell. SFTP file manager

Jump hosts as a saved chain instead of a ProxyCommand you rewrite from memory. Jump host guide

Port forwarding rules saved per host, toggled without reconnecting. Port forwarding guide

The same hosts on macOS, Linux, Android and iOS.

Tempest terminal with the SFTP file manager in the same window

Frequently asked questions

Where are PuTTY sessions stored?: In the registry under HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\SimonTatham\PuTTY\Sessions — one key per saved session. The regedit /e command above writes all of them to a single .reg file.
Do I need PuTTY installed to export?: No. The sessions live in your user registry hive, so the export works even after PuTTY itself is gone — including on a machine where you only have the portable putty.exe.
Will my .ppk keys work?: After a one-time conversion. PuTTYgen exports an OpenSSH-format key that Tempest imports directly; the original .ppk keeps working in PuTTY if you want to run both for a while.
What about sessions that use a proxy or a jump host?: PuTTY stores those as proxy settings the import does not map, so re-add them on the host once. Both are first-class fields in Tempest rather than a command line you paste.
Is Tempest free?: The free plan covers SSH, Mosh, SFTP, FTP, S3 and WebDAV on one synced device — the import itself is free, however many hosts are in the file. Pro adds unlimited synced devices, jump hosts, port forwarding, the SFTP editor, RDP, VNC, Kubernetes, serial and RCON.

Keep exploring

PuTTY alternative Tempest vs PuTTY PuTTY for Mac Import MobaXterm sessions SSH client for Windows

The registry was never a good place for your servers.

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