How do I add a private key in PuTTY?

To add a private key in PuTTY for SSH authentication, follow these steps:

1. Open PuTTY Configuration: Launch the PuTTY application.

2. Load Saved Session (if applicable): If you have a saved session for your SSH server, load it. This populates the configuration with your server's details. For example, if your session string is 192.168.x.x, select it and click "Load".

3. Navigate to Authentication Settings:

   • In the PuTTY Configuration window, go to "SSH" -> "Auth" -> "Credentials".

4. Browse for Your Private Key:

   • Click the "Browse..." button to locate your private key file (usually a .ppk file if it was generated using PuTTYgen).

5. Select the Private Key File:

   • Choose the private key file you want to use for authentication and click "Open".

6. Save the Session:

   • Go back to "Session" in the PuTTY Configuration window.
   • Ensure the "Saved Sessions" field contains the name of your session.
   • Click "Save" to store the private key setting with your session. This ensures that PuTTY uses the key every time you connect to the server using this session.

Now, when you open the saved session, PuTTY will automatically use the specified private key for authentication.