> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.couchdrop.io/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.couchdrop.io/walkthroughs/using-sftp-ssh-keys/how-to-convert-a-ppk-key-to-rsa.md).

# How to convert a PPK key to RSA

Putty is a common windows SFTP and SSH client that uses a different key format to most other tools. Its fairly common to need to convert keys between formats.

## Converting using Putty

#### 1. Install PuTTYgen

* If you don’t already have it, download **PuTTYgen** from the PuTTY download page.
* On Windows, it usually installs along with PuTTY.

***

#### 2. Open Your PPK File

1. Launch **PuTTYgen**.
2. Click **Load** and browse to your `.ppk` file.
   * You might need to set the file filter to `*.*` to see your PPK.
3. Once loaded, you’ll see details about the key.

***

#### 3. Export the PEM Key

1. From the **Conversions** menu, choose:
   * **Export OpenSSH key** → creates a PEM suitable for SSH.
   * **Export OpenSSH key (force new file format)** → for newer OpenSSH versions.
   * **Export OpenSSH key (old PEM format)** → if something expects “classic” PEM.
2. Save the file with a `.pem` extension (e.g., `mykey.pem`).

## Using the command line

If you have a PPK file on Linux or macOS, you can also use **puttygen** (installed via package manager):

```bash
puttygen mykey.ppk -O private-openssh -o mykey.pem
```

* `-O private-openssh` → outputs an OpenSSH-compatible PEM private key.
* `-o mykey.pem` → specifies the output filename.

***

After this, you can use the `.pem` file with OpenSSH or cloud providers like AWS EC2.


---

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