PEM to PPK Converter
Turn an id_rsa, AWS .pem or other OpenSSH/PEM private key into a PuTTY .ppk for PuTTY, WinSCP and FileZilla — passphrase-protected keys included. Converted in your browser; nothing is uploaded.
At a glance
- Reads OpenSSH keys (BEGIN OPENSSH PRIVATE KEY), traditional PEM (BEGIN RSA / EC / DSA PRIVATE KEY) and PKCS#8, encrypted or not.
- Unlocks passphrase-protected keys: OpenSSH’s bcrypt + AES, and PEM/PKCS#8 encrypted with AES or 3DES (as older OpenSSL and PuTTYgen exports are).
- Writes PPK v3 (PuTTY 0.75+, WinSCP 5.19+) or PPK v2 for older PuTTY versions, with an optional passphrase.
- Supports RSA, ECDSA (P-256, P-384, P-521), Ed25519 and DSA keys, and keeps the key comment.
- Shows the key type, size and SHA256 fingerprint, and the public key line for authorized_keys.
- Output is tested against PuTTY’s format and read back by an independent PPK reader.
- Runs entirely in your browser — the private key is never uploaded.
Step by step
How to convert a PEM file to PPK
- 1
Open the key
Click Open a key file and choose your .pem or id_rsa file, or paste the key text.
- 2
Unlock it
If the key has a passphrase, enter it and click Unlock.
- 3
Choose PPK
Pick PPK v3 (or PPK v2 for older PuTTY), set the comment and optionally a passphrase.
- 4
Download
Click Convert and Download the .ppk file.
Features
Everything you need, nothing you don’t
AWS keys in PuTTY
Downloaded an EC2 key pair as .pem? Convert it to .ppk to connect with PuTTY or WinSCP on Windows.
No PuTTYgen needed
Works in any browser, on any computer — handy on a work laptop where you can’t install software.
Old and new PuTTY
Choose PPK v3 for current PuTTY, or v2 for older PuTTY, WinSCP and tools that don’t read v3 yet.
Keep it protected
Add a passphrase to the .ppk so the key is encrypted on disk.
Check the fingerprint
The SHA256 fingerprint matches what ssh-keygen and PuTTYgen show, so you can confirm it’s the right key.
Private
Your key is converted in this browser tab and never sent anywhere.
Using the .ppk file
PuTTY: Connection → SSH → Auth → Credentials → “Private key file for authentication”, then save the session.
WinSCP: Login → Advanced → SSH → Authentication → Private key file. FileZilla: Settings → Connection → SFTP → Add key file.
Going the other way? Use the PPK to PEM converter.
PPK v3 or v2?
| PPK v3 | PPK v2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Works with | PuTTY 0.75 and later, WinSCP 5.19+, current FileZilla | All PuTTY versions and older tools |
| Passphrase protection | Argon2 (much harder to crack) | Older SHA-1 based scheme |
| Choose when | Your tools are up to date | A tool says the key format is unsupported |
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
How do I convert a PEM file to PPK?
Can I convert an AWS EC2 .pem key to .ppk?
Does it support new OpenSSH keys (BEGIN OPENSSH PRIVATE KEY)?
PuTTY says “unsupported key format” — what now?
Is it safe to convert a private key online?
Which key types are supported?
Keep going
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