SSH Clients for Mac

While PuTTY is Windows-only, Mac users have excellent built-in and third-party SSH options

Important Note

PuTTY is designed specifically for Windows and is not available for Mac. However, macOS has excellent built-in SSH capabilities and many great alternatives.

Built-in SSH Client (Recommended)

macOS Terminal + OpenSSH

Pre-installed

Mac comes with a powerful SSH client built-in. The Terminal app provides full SSH functionality with no additional software needed.

How to Use:

  1. 1Open Terminal (Applications → Utilities → Terminal)
  2. 2Type: ssh username@hostname
  3. 3Enter your password when prompted
  4. 4You're connected!

Common Commands:

ssh user@server.com
ssh -p 2222 user@server.com
ssh -i ~/.ssh/id_rsa user@server.com
scp file.txt user@server:~/
sftp user@server.com

GUI SSH Clients for Mac

iTerm2

Free

Enhanced terminal emulator with advanced features, split panes, and better customization than the built-in Terminal.

  • • Split panes and tabs
  • • Advanced customization
  • • Search and autocomplete
  • • Session profiles
Download from iterm2.com

Royal TSX

Paid

Professional connection manager supporting SSH, RDP, VNC, and more with advanced session management.

  • • Connection management
  • • Multiple protocols
  • • Credential management
  • • Team sharing
Visit Royal TSX

Termius

Freemium

Modern SSH client with sync across devices, beautiful interface, and SFTP support.

  • • Cross-device sync
  • • Modern interface
  • • SFTP file transfer
  • • Port forwarding
Download Termius

SSH Files – Secure ShellFish

Paid

Native Mac app with Files integration, making remote servers appear like local folders.

  • • Files app integration
  • • Terminal and file manager
  • • iOS companion app
  • • Shortcuts support
Visit ShellFish

SSH Key Management on Mac

Generate SSH Keys

Mac includes OpenSSH by default, so you can generate keys using the command line:

ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096 -C "your_email@example.com"

This creates a new SSH key pair in the ~/.ssh directory.

SSH Agent & Keychain

Mac integrates SSH keys with the Keychain for automatic loading:

ssh-add --apple-use-keychain ~/.ssh/id_rsa

Add to ~/.ssh/config for automatic keychain integration.

File Transfer Options

Command Line

Built-in scp and sftp commands

scp file.txt user@server:~/

Cyberduck

Free FTP/SFTP client with GUI

Download →

Finder Integration

SSH Files app integrates with Finder

Learn More →

Migrating from PuTTY on Windows

Converting PuTTY Keys

If you have .ppk files from PuTTY, you can convert them to OpenSSH format:

  1. 1. Install PuTTYgen on Mac (via Homebrew or MacPorts)
  2. 2. Or use online conversion tools
  3. 3. Convert .ppk to OpenSSH format
  4. 4. Import to ~/.ssh/ directory

Session Migration

Recreate your PuTTY sessions using SSH config files:

Host myserver
  HostName server.example.com
  User username
  Port 22
  IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_rsa

Feature Comparison

FeatureTerminaliTerm2TermiusRoyal TSX
SSH Support✅✅✅✅
Free✅✅Limited❌
Tabs/Split PanesTabs Only✅✅✅
Session ManagementManualProfiles✅✅
File Transfer GUI❌❌✅✅

Recommendation: Start with the built-in Terminal app or iTerm2 for most users. Consider paid options like Termius or Royal TSX if you need advanced session management or file transfer features.

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