Connect drawer · SSH, Telnet & File Transfer
SSH, Telnet and file-transfer tools for Windows admins
A new access switch arrives, you plug a USB-to-serial cable into its console port, and the next ten minutes decide whether the rest of the install goes smoothly. You need a terminal that talks 9600 8N1 without fuss, then SSH once the management VLAN is up, and a way to push a firmware image and pull the startup config back for safekeeping. On Windows that usually means two programs that have been on admin laptops for a very long time: PuTTY for the session, WinSCP for the files.
Windows 10 and 11 now include an OpenSSH client, and plenty of admins type ssh straight into PowerShell. The reason the two classics survive is the stuff around the connection: saved sessions per device, serial console support, a key agent, a graphical two-pane file browser, and a scripting interface you can call from a scheduled task. This drawer compares them on those terms. It also borrows four tools from other drawers, because the connection is rarely the whole job — you usually have to find the host first, and sometimes prove what went wrong on the wire. The ordering and the criteria are explained on the methodology page.
6 SSH, Telnet and file-transfer tools side by side
PuTTY and WinSCP are the two tools this drawer is really about. Sysinternals PsExec is the Windows-to-Windows counterpart for running a command on a remote host; the sweepers find the management addresses, and Advanced IP Scanner can hand a found host straight to an SSH, Telnet or FTP client; Wireshark settles arguments about handshakes and passive FTP. Order reflects how often each is the tool doing the actual connecting. Each tool name opens the full review; the vendor links further down open the maker’s own site.
| Tool | Licence | Seat cost | Platforms | Key feature | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PuTTYSimon Tatham | MIT | No cost on any number of machines | Windows, Unix-like systems | Saved sessions, serial console support, plus PuTTYgen, Pageant, Plink and PSCP/PSFTP | Console work on network gear and scripted SSH from Windows |
| WinSCPMartin Přikryl | GPLv3 | No cost on any number of machines | Windows | SFTP, SCP, FTP(S), WebDAV and S3 with a scripting interface and .NET assembly | Moving files to and from servers and appliances, and automating transfers in PowerShell |
| Sysinternals SuiteMicrosoft | Freeware | No cost | Windows (x64 and ARM64 builds) | Process Explorer, Process Monitor, TCPView, Autoruns, PsExec and dozens more in one bundle | Troubleshooting Windows hosts that misbehave on the network |
| Angry IP ScannerAnton Keks | GPLv2 | No cost on any number of machines | Windows, macOS, Linux | Pluggable fetchers (ping, hostname, MAC, ports), a command-line mode and CSV/TXT/XML/IP-port export | Admins who want the same fast sweeper on Windows, Mac and Linux laptops |
| WiresharkWireshark Foundation | GPLv2 | No cost on any number of machines | Windows, macOS, Linux, BSD | Passive capture with deep protocol decoding and display filters | Proving what a host or device actually sends on your own LAN |
| Advanced IP ScannerFamatech | Freeware | No cost; vendor lists it as free | Windows 7–11 (installed or portable) | Host list with MAC vendor and shares, plus RDP/Radmin, SSH/Telnet/FTP/HTTP hooks, Wake-on-LAN and remote shutdown | Windows admins who want a readable host list and quick actions without setup |
Independent comparison: NetPulse24 is not any of these vendors, and none of them paid for a position. Licence terms, seat prices and supported platforms in this table were rechecked on each maker’s site as of the date shown.
Picking one for your bench
- Separate the shell from the file mover
PuTTY is a terminal: SSH, Telnet, rlogin, raw sockets and serial. WinSCP is a file manager: SFTP, SCP, FTP/FTPS, WebDAV and S3. They share settings rather than overlapping — WinSCP can import PuTTY’s saved sessions and open a PuTTY window for the current server.
- Plan keys before you plan sessions
Generate one key pair per admin with PuTTYgen, keep the private key passphrase-protected, load it into Pageant, and install only the public half on switches and servers. Shared passwords typed into a saved session are the habit this replaces.
- Check serial support if you touch network gear
Out-of-band work on switches and firewalls still means a console cable. PuTTY opens COM ports directly with speed, data bits, parity and flow control; WinSCP has no serial mode, so it can’t replace the terminal here.
- Think about scripting on day one
If config backups should run nightly, pick the tool you can drive unattended. Plink and PSCP cover command-line SSH and copies from PuTTY’s side; WinSCP adds a scripting language and a .NET assembly that PowerShell can load directly.
- Treat Telnet and plain FTP as legacy
Both send credentials in clear text. Keep them for isolated lab gear or devices that offer nothing else, on a management VLAN you control, and move to SSH and SFTP as soon as the device allows it.
- Verify host keys the first time
The first connection to a device shows its host key fingerprint. Compare it with the one printed on the device’s own console before you accept it; accepting blindly is how a later mismatch warning gets ignored too.
Why Windows’ built-in ssh hasn’t retired these two
The OpenSSH client that ships with current Windows is a good fit for quick sessions and scripts. What it lacks is the admin-laptop furniture: a saved profile per switch with its own colours and logging, serial console access, a GUI key agent, and a drag-and-drop view of the remote file system with synchronisation and resumable transfers. PuTTY and WinSCP are both open source, cost nothing to put on any number of machines, and are maintained by long-standing individual authors. As with every tool here, get them only from the authors’ own sites — both are frequent targets of look-alike ad pages — and check the signature before running anything.
Vendor pages: PuTTY chiark.greenend.org.uk · WinSCP winscp.net · Sysinternals Suite learn.microsoft.com · Angry IP Scanner angryip.org · Wireshark wireshark.org · Advanced IP Scanner advanced-ip-scanner.com
Questions about SSH, Telnet and file-transfer tools
Do I need both PuTTY and WinSCP?
Most Windows admins end up with both because they do different jobs: PuTTY for interactive shells and serial consoles, WinSCP for moving files. WinSCP can reuse PuTTY’s saved sessions and keys, so keeping both costs little extra setup.
Can PuTTY transfer files on its own?
Yes, from the command line: PSCP copies files over SCP or SFTP and PSFTP gives an interactive SFTP prompt. There is no graphical file browser in PuTTY itself, which is the gap WinSCP fills.
Is Telnet still worth keeping installed?
As a client, occasionally: some old gear offers nothing else, and a raw TCP connection to a port is a quick way to see whether a service answers. Never use it across networks you don’t control, because the session is unencrypted end to end.
Can WinSCP back up switch configs automatically?
Where the device exposes its configuration over SFTP or SCP, a WinSCP script or a PowerShell job using the WinSCP .NET assembly can fetch it on a schedule. Devices that only offer config export through the CLI are better handled by a scripted SSH session with Plink.
What about macOS or Linux admins on the team?
PuTTY builds exist for Unix-like systems, but most Mac and Linux users simply use the built-in ssh, scp and sftp commands. WinSCP is Windows-only.
Keep going
Other drawers
Disclosure: every maker link here lands directly on that maker’s official site, with no affiliate tag and no commission for NetPulse24. See the affiliate disclosure.