What is the registry key for PuTTY sessions?

PuTTY, a popular SSH and Telnet client for Windows, stores its saved session configurations within the Windows Registry. Understanding the location of this registry key can be helpful for backup, transfer, or automation purposes.

The registry key where PuTTY stores its saved sessions is located at:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\SimonTatham\PuTTY\Sessions

Here's a breakdown of the components:

- HKEY_CURRENT_USER: This root key represents the current user's settings.

- Software: This is a common location for application settings.

- SimonTatham: This is the developer of PuTTY, hence the name.

- PuTTY: This is the main key for PuTTY settings.

- Sessions: This is where all the saved sessions are stored.

Each saved session is stored as a subkey under the Sessions key. The name of the subkey corresponds to the name of the saved session. Within each session subkey, you'll find various values representing the session's configurations such as hostname, port, connection type, and other settings.

You can access this registry key using the Windows Registry Editor (regedit.exe). Be cautious when modifying the registry, as incorrect changes could cause issues with your system or applications. It's advisable to create a backup of the registry before making any modifications.

To export specific session settings, you can navigate to the session’s subkey, right-click on it, and select "Export." This will generate a .reg file containing the settings for that session, which can then be imported into another machine or backed up.

In conclusion, the PuTTY session registry key is HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\SimonTatham\PuTTY\Sessions, where each saved session is represented as a subkey with its configurations.

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