SSH Workbench
macOS, including Apple Silicon (M1 to M4)

PuTTY for Mac: What to Use Instead

There is no official PuTTY for macOS. No .dmg, no App Store build, and any installer claiming otherwise isn't from the PuTTY project. The good news: a Mac already has everything PuTTY does on Windows, and the missing parts have better native answers.

The three real routes, depending on what you actually need

Just need to connect?

macOS ships OpenSSH. Open Terminal and run ssh user@host. That is the whole install. Keys, tunnels, and jump hosts all work; our SSH commands cheat sheet covers the syntax.

Need the PuTTY key tools?

For .ppk files and puttygen, brew install putty gives you the command-line tools (puttygen, plink, pscp). Or skip the install: our PPK to PEM converter handles keys in the browser.

Replacing PuTTY outright?

Saved sessions, key management, and a real interface deserve a native app. SSH Workbench brings them to macOS, Apple Silicon included, with file browsing and a terminal built in. Your .ppk keys come along too.

SSH Workbench: the PuTTY replacement built for Mac

Everything you kept PuTTY around for, native on macOS: saved sessions with keys attached, a visual file browser over SFTP, Docker and service management, and a full terminal when you want one. No agents on your servers, plain SSH underneath.

Terminal
$ curl -fsSL https://sshworkbench.com/install.sh | bash

Free 7-day trial. No sign-up, no credit card.

The Homebrew route in full

Homebrew compiles PuTTY's Unix source, which means the command-line tools work fine on any Mac, Intel or Apple Silicon. What you get is puttygen, plink, pscp, and psftp in Terminal. What you don't get is the PuTTY window itself; the GUI needs a GTK build almost nobody runs on macOS.

brew install putty

The main reason Mac users actually need this is key conversion. A .ppk file from a Windows colleague or an old server setup won't load into macOS's ssh until it's converted:

puttygen key.ppk -O private-openssh -o key.pemchmod 600 key.pem

Going the other way (a Mac-made key for a PuTTY user) is PEM to PPK, and generating a fresh PPK without installing anything is the PuTTY key generator. Full command reference on the PuTTY commands cheat sheet.

The jobs PuTTY did that need a different tool

A few PuTTY duties have their own Mac answers rather than one replacement:

You used PuTTY forOn a Mac
Serial console (routers, Arduino, Pi)Terminal's built-in screen /dev/tty.usbserial-XXXX 9600, or minicom via Homebrew
Pageant (key agent)macOS runs ssh-agent natively; ssh-add --apple-use-keychain remembers passphrases
Telnet to old gearbrew install telnet (removed from macOS years ago), or nc host 23
Generating keysssh-keygen -t ed25519 built in, or the browser-based key generator
X11 forwardingXQuartz plus ssh -X; the only piece that needs a separate install on both platforms

PuTTY for Mac FAQ

Is PuTTY available for Mac?
Not officially. The PuTTY project ships Windows binaries and Unix source code, but no macOS app, installer, or App Store build has ever existed. Sites offering a 'PuTTY for Mac .dmg' are repackaging something else. The closest official thing is compiling the Unix source, which is what Homebrew's putty formula does, and that gives you the command-line tools rather than the PuTTY window.
Do I need PuTTY on a Mac?
Usually not. PuTTY exists because Windows historically had no SSH client; macOS has always shipped OpenSSH, so 'ssh user@host' in Terminal covers connecting, keys, tunnels, and port forwarding out of the box. You only need PuTTY's tooling for its file formats, chiefly converting .ppk keys, and even that works in the browser with our converters.
How do I install PuTTY on a Mac with Homebrew?
Run 'brew install putty' in Terminal. That compiles the command-line tools (puttygen, plink, pscp, psftp) and works the same on Intel and Apple Silicon Macs, M1 through M4. It does not install a PuTTY window; the GUI needs a GTK build that isn't practical on macOS. Most people install it purely for puttygen key conversion.
What is the best PuTTY alternative for Mac?
It depends on which part of PuTTY you're replacing. For the raw SSH connection, Terminal's built-in ssh is the alternative and needs no install. For the app experience (saved sessions, key management, an actual interface), SSH Workbench is our native answer, and iTerm2 plus ssh config files is the assemble-it-yourself route. For serial consoles specifically, Terminal's screen command or minicom.
Can I use my PuTTY .ppk key on a Mac?
Yes, after conversion: macOS's ssh reads OpenSSH and PEM keys, not .ppk. Convert with 'puttygen key.ppk -O private-openssh -o key.pem' after installing putty via Homebrew, then 'chmod 600 key.pem' and connect with 'ssh -i key.pem user@host'. If you don't want to install anything, the PPK to PEM converter on this site does the same job in your browser.

Retire PuTTY properly

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