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WinSSHTerm: A Free Multi-Tab SSH Client for Windows

WinSSHTermSSH client for Windowsmulti-tab terminalPuTTY alternativeSFTP file transfer
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WinSSHTerm is an SSH client for Windows that integrates multiple open-source tools such as PuTTY, KiTTY, WinSCP, and VcXsrv to make SSH management more convenient.

Recently, the forced upgrade of Xshell 5 has rendered it unusable. In a previous article, Xshell 6 Official Release with Basic Installation and Usage, we shared a tutorial on using Xshell 6. While Xshell + Xftp is indeed useful, the free version of Xshell 6 allows creating a maximum of 4 tabs simultaneously. If you cannot tolerate this limitation, you can try the WinSSHTerm tool.

Key Features

  • Uses original PuTTY / KiTTY executable files
  • Friendly terminal colors
  • Multiple tabs
  • Multiple windows
  • Master password
  • Share connections with colleagues
  • Template variables
  • Keyboard shortcuts
  • Background colors for PROD, DEV, etc.
  • Supports file transfer (WinSCP)
  • Supports X (VcXsrv) with copy and paste functionality
  • Supports SSH jump servers / bastion hosts
  • Supports portable (green) version
  • Quickly find connections
  • Easy migration from PuTTY, PuTTY Session Manager, MobaXterm, SuperPuTTY, mRemoteNG, and MTPuTTY

Getting Started

WinSSHTerm itself does not have SSH connection functionality and relies on PuTTY or KiTTY. During the initial installation and configuration, you will be prompted to specify the PuTTY path. PuTTY can be downloaded from the official website: https://www.putty.org/.

WinSSHTerm supports SFTP file transfer, which also relies on WinSCP. The WinSCP download link is: https://winscp.net/. If you need to use X11 forwarding (which relies on VcXsrv), you will also need to download VcXsrv. If you do not need this feature, you can skip the configuration.

If you prefer not to configure manually, you can directly download the compressed package integrated by xiaoz: WinSSHTerm.zip, which already includes PuTTY, WinSCP, and VcXsrv. If you are concerned, you can download and configure them manually from the official sources.

Basic Settings

WinSSHTerm requires minimal configuration. The only aspect that might feel unfamiliar is the copy and paste behavior. You can open the settings button to choose your preferred copy and paste methods, as shown in the screenshot below.

Using SFTP for File Transfer

WinSSHTerm's SFTP functionality relies on WinSCP, so please ensure you have correctly configured the WinSCP path. Right-click on the tab bar and select "Copy files" to automatically connect to WinSCP for file transfer.

Running Multiple Windows

WinSSHTerm supports not only multiple tabs but also multiple windows running simultaneously, looking like the example below.

Batch Command Execution on Multiple Servers

Open Tools - Cluster Mode, select the servers where you want to execute commands in bulk, and click Open to launch them. You can then execute commands on the opened servers via the Scripts section.

Summary

WinSSHTerm supports multiple tabs, multiple windows, SFTP, and other features without any limitations, fully meeting usage requirements. If you do not mind the interface, it is a perfect alternative to Xshell 6. What do you think?