PSCP - Secure File Transfer

Command-line secure file copy utility using SCP protocol

Download PSCP

PSCP 64-bit

For modern Windows systems

Download PSCP.exe (64-bit)

File size: ~800 KB

PSCP 32-bit

For older Windows systems

Download PSCP.exe (32-bit)

File size: ~700 KB

What is PSCP?

PSCP (PuTTY Secure Copy Protocol) is a command-line application for securely transferring files between a local computer and a remote server using the SSH file transfer protocol (SCP).

It's part of the PuTTY suite and provides a simple way to copy files to and from SSH servers without needing a graphical interface. PSCP supports both password and public key authentication.

Key Features

🔒

Secure Transfer

Encrypted file transfers via SSH

⚡

Fast & Efficient

Optimized for large file transfers

🔑

Key Authentication

Support for SSH keys and passwords

📁

Recursive Copy

Copy entire directories

Basic PSCP Commands

Upload Files to Server

# Upload single file

pscp file.txt user@server:/path/

# Upload multiple files

pscp *.txt user@server:/path/

# Upload directory recursively

pscp -r folder/ user@server:/path/

Download Files from Server

# Download single file

pscp user@server:/path/file.txt .

# Download multiple files

pscp user@server:/path/*.txt .

# Download directory

pscp -r user@server:/path/folder .

Advanced PSCP Usage

Advanced Commands

# Use SSH key for authentication

pscp -i private-key.ppk file.txt user@server:/path/

# Specify custom SSH port

pscp -P 2222 file.txt user@server:/path/

# Preserve file timestamps

pscp -p file.txt user@server:/path/

# Verbose output for debugging

pscp -v file.txt user@server:/path/

# Compress data during transfer

pscp -C file.txt user@server:/path/

# Batch mode (non-interactive)

pscp -batch file.txt user@server:/path/

Command Line Options

Option	Description	Example
-r	Recursively copy directories	pscp -r folder/ user@server:
-p	Preserve file timestamps	pscp -p file.txt user@server:
-i keyfile	Use private key for authentication	pscp -i key.ppk file.txt user@server:
-P port	Connect to specified SSH port	pscp -P 2222 file.txt user@server:
-v	Verbose output (debugging)	pscp -v file.txt user@server:
-C	Enable compression	pscp -C largefile.zip user@server:

Practical Examples

Website Deployment

# Upload website files

pscp -r website/* user@server:/var/www/html/

Database Backup

# Download database backup

pscp user@server:/backups/db.sql .

Log File Retrieval

# Download log files

pscp user@server:/var/log/*.log ./logs/

Configuration Sync

# Upload config files

pscp -i key.ppk config.conf user@server:/etc/

PSCP vs PSFTP vs WinSCP

Feature	PSCP	PSFTP	WinSCP
Interface	Command Line	Command Line	GUI
Protocol	SCP	SFTP	SCP/SFTP
Automation	Excellent	Excellent	Good
Ease of Use	Moderate	Moderate	Easy
File Size	Small (~800KB)	Small (~800KB)	Large (~9MB)

Common Issues & Solutions

Permission denied

Solution: Check file permissions on the remote server and ensure your user has write access.

chmod 755 /path/to/destination/

Connection timeout

Solution: Check if the SSH port (default 22) is correct and accessible. Use the -P option to specify a different port if needed.

Key authentication failed

Solution: Ensure the private key file (.ppk) exists and has the correct permissions. Verify the corresponding public key is installed on the server.