WinSCP is an open source SFTP client, SCP client, FTPS client and FTP client for Windows. Its main function is file transfer between a local and a remote computer. Beyond this, WinSCP offers scripting and basic file manager functionality.

What FTP protocols does WinSCP support?

WinSCP offers support for secure SFTP and SCP protocols, which offer SSH and SSH2 encrypted authentication.

Can WinSCP be used as a file manager?

The WinSCP interface is organized as a file manager, yes it can also be used as a file manager. Although you can customize it a bit, when you open WinSCP you get a double pane file tree, the left being your local storage and the right the server you connect to.

How secure is WinSCP?

WinSCP is very secure as long as you keep your credentials safe. This means that if your computer is compromised with a trojan or keylogger, WinSCP login and information can be stolen and thus access to the server or servers you have stored can be also compromised.

Does WinSCP offer automated file transfers?

WinSCP can be configured to do automatic file transfers or synchronize files and/or directories but it requires a script. You can find a guide to automated file transfers to SFTP servers here.

Features

  • Graphical user interface
  • Translated into several languages
  • Integration with Windows (drag & drop, URL, shortcut icons)
  • U3 support
  • All common operations with files
  • Support for SFTP and SCP protocols over SSH-1 and SSH-2 and plain old FTP protocol
  • Batch file scripting and command-line interface
  • Directory synchronization in several semi or fully automatic ways
  • Integrated text editor
  • Support for SSH password, keyboard-interactive, public key and Kerberos (GSS) authentication
  • Integrates with Pageant (PuTTY authentication agent) for full support of public key authentication with SSH
  • Windows Explorer-like and Norton Commander-like interfaces
  • Optionally stores session information
  • Optionally supports standalone operation using a configuration file in place of registry entries, suitable for operation from removable media

What's New

  • TLS/SSL core upgraded to OpenSSL 3.2.2.
  • Translation updated: Belarusian, Danish and Russian.
  • Standalone executable installer can run over corrupted MSI installation. 2294
  • Support for up-to 16KB WebDAV cookies. 2289
  • Bug fix: Failure when trying to automate file synchronization by checksum on an SFTP server that does not support it natively. 2291
  • Bug fix: Remote panel does not refresh after "ZIP and Upload". 2292

Previous Release Notes:

  • Translation completed: Norwegian.
  • Bug fix: Badly encoded SFTP packet when renaming a file using SFTP version 5 and newer. 2259
  • Bug fix: Failure when trying to synchronize files by checksum on server that does not support it. 2260
  • Bug fix: Random hang/failure when closing FTP TLS 1.3 connection. 2261
  • Bug fix: Cannot use IPv6 literal as hostname on Login dialog. 2263
  • Single large file can be downloaded using multiple SFTP connections.
  • Support for OpenSSH certificates for host verification.
  • File hash can be used as criterion for synchronization.
  • Improved behavior when duplicating and moving remote files.
  • SSH core upgraded to PuTTY 0.80. That includes support for HMAC-SHA-512 and mitigation of "Terrapin" vulnerability.
  • TLS/SSL core upgraded to OpenSSL 3.

Previous Release Notes:

WinSCP 6.1 is a major application update. New features and enhancements include:

  • Local file manager mode (two local panels).
  • Windows 11 flat style graphics.
  • SSH core upgraded to PuTTY 0.78. That includes support for OpenSSH certificates.
  • Ongoing delete operation can be moved to background queue.
  • Showing directory size in file panel.
  • Translations completed: Catalan, Czech, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Romanian, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Spanish and Swedish.
  • Consistently open the nearest existing parent folder when the current local panel directory is deleted. 2182
  • Visual feedback when control (drop down list particularly) is focused via keyboard accelerator.
  • Building .NET assembly in Visual Studio 2022.
  • Bug fix: Remote file pasted to an external HDD is downloaded twice. 2183
  • Bug fix: Callstack debug logging in .NET assembly was broken.
  • Bug fix: Corrected hint for Default session color command.
  • Bug fix: When reading input Stream in .NET assembly upload fails in 64-bit process, the transfer is not interrupted.
  • Bug fix: Failure when application log cannot be opened. 2186
  • Bug fix: Work around key algorithm naming change in OpenSSH 7.7 and older (from pre-release of PuTTY 0.79). 2188
  • Bug fix: With debug logging enabled, the echoed script commands and XML log group names miss the command name.

Previous Release Notes:

  • Improvements to official Batch Rename extension:
    • Made GUI refresh optional to allow standalone execution.
    • Not failing when specific file do not require any rename.
    • Bug fix: Rename fails when the filename contain file mask special characters. 2157
  • Bug fix: Failure when system settings change after new version message box was displayed. 2148
  • TLS/SSL core upgraded to OpenSSL 1.1.1s.
  • XML parser upgraded to Expat 2.5.0.
  • Translation updated: German.
  • Seting $PSNativeCommandArgumentPassing to Legacy in generated WinSCP scripting PowerShell commandline, which is needed for PowerShell 7.3 compatibility. 2134
  • Added new ap-south-2, eu-central-2 and eu-south-2 AWS regions and doubling region drop-down height.
  • Bug fix: Moving WebDAV transfer to background aborts the transfer if the server commits the interrupted foreground transfer. 2126
  • Bug fix: Failure when saving edited file while current tab is not connected. 2139
  • Bug fix: When the current session is encrypted, saved edited file was uploaded using the current session instead of its source session. When the current session is not encrypted, edited files opened in any encrypted session was uploaded on the background, possibly leading to data inconsistent files.
  • Bug fix: When reattaching edited file to re-connection session, the file was always attached to the current session instead of the possibly non-active re-connected session.
  • List of all changes.

Alternatively you can download the latest beta version of this software.