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How to Convert PEM to PPK (PuTTY Private Key) — Complete Guide

SSHPEMPPKPuTTYAWSWindowsLinux

How to Convert PEM to PPK (PuTTY Private Key)

If you have an SSH private key in PEM format (commonly used by OpenSSH / Linux / AWS) and you need to connect with PuTTY on Windows, you usually must convert it to PPK format (PuTTY Private Key).

This guide shows the safest, most common methods to convert *.pem → *.ppk, and how to use the resulting key.

When do you need PEM → PPK?

You likely need a PPK when you:

  • Use PuTTY (Windows) for SSH
  • Have a *.pem key from AWS EC2 or another provider
  • Want to load your key into Pageant (PuTTY SSH agent)

If you're using Windows Terminal / PowerShell with OpenSSH (ssh command), you usually do not need PPK — PEM works directly.

Before you start (security notes)

  • Never share your private key (.pem or .ppk) with anyone.
  • Keep it in a private folder (not a public repo).
  • Use a passphrase when exporting your PPK (recommended).

Method 1 — Convert PEM to PPK using PuTTYgen (Windows GUI)

Step 1 — Install PuTTY

Download and install PuTTY (it includes PuTTYgen).

Step 2 — Open PuTTYgen

  • Start Menu → PuTTYgen (or run puttygen.exe)

Step 3 — Load your PEM key

  1. Click Load
  2. In the file picker, switch file type to:
    • All Files (.) (because by default it shows only .ppk)
  3. Select your your-key.pem

If PuTTYgen warns about the key format, that is normal for some PEM variations — continue.

Step 4 — (Recommended) Add a passphrase

In PuTTYgen:

  • Key passphrase
  • Confirm passphrase

Use a strong passphrase you can remember (or store in a password manager).

Step 5 — Save as PPK

Click:

  • Save private key
  • Choose a name like your-key.ppk

✅ Done. You can now use your-key.ppk in PuTTY.

Method 2 — Convert PEM to PPK using puttygen (Linux / macOS / WSL)

If you have puttygen available, you can convert via CLI.

Install puttygen

Ubuntu / Debian

sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y putty-tools

macOS (Homebrew)

brew install putty

Convert PEM → PPK

puttygen your-key.pem -o your-key.ppk

Add / change passphrase (recommended)

puttygen your-key.pem -o your-key.ppk -P

It will prompt you to set a passphrase.

How to use the PPK in PuTTY (Windows)

Step 1 — Open PuTTY

  • Host Name: ubuntu@YOUR_SERVER_IP (or ec2-user@... for Amazon Linux)
  • Port: 22
  • Connection type: SSH

Step 2 — Attach your PPK

Go to:

  • Connection → SSH → Auth → Credentials
  • Click Browse... and select your-key.ppk

Step 3 — Optional: save session

  • Go back to Session
  • Enter a name (e.g., My-EC2)
  • Click Save

Step 4 — Connect

Click Open and accept the server fingerprint if asked.

Troubleshooting

1) “Server refused our key” / “No supported authentication methods available”

Common causes:

  • Wrong username (try ubuntu, ec2-user, root, admin)
  • Wrong key for that server
  • Server doesn’t have your public key in ~/.ssh/authorized_keys

2) “Unable to load key file (not a supported key format)”

Try:

  • Re-open the .pem in PuTTYgen and re-save as .ppk
  • If your key is in newer OpenSSH format, use a newer PuTTY/PuTTYgen

3) Permissions issue (OpenSSH on Linux)

If you use OpenSSH (ssh) with a PEM file:

chmod 600 your-key.pem

4) You only have a .crt or .cer file

Those are certificates, not SSH private keys. You need the actual private key (.pem) to create a .ppk.

Quick checks

  • PEM is the private key file you got from your provider.
  • PPK is just a PuTTY-friendly container for that same private key.
  • Use a passphrase when exporting the PPK if possible.

Author

Marquefactory DevOps Team