How to convert PEM key to PPK on Windows

PEM files are commonly used for storing SSH public and private key pairs. When working with services like AWS, these keys are often provided in the .pem format. However, if you need to use these keys in PuTTY, you'll encounter a compatibility issue because PuTTY requires .ppk files.

To resolve this, you need to convert your .pem file into a .ppk file. This allows you to use your existing SSH private key in PuTTY without any issues. The conversion process is simple and involves using the PuTTY Key Generator, or PuTTYGen, which is a free tool available on Windows.

By converting your key, you ensure that your secure connections can be easily managed in PuTTY. This conversion is especially useful when transitioning from Linux-based environments to Windows-based systems where PuTTY is used for SSH connections.

1. Download PuTTY Key Generator (puttygen.exe) based on your CPU architecture from the official website.

   https://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/latest.html

2. Launch PuTTYgen.
3. Click on the Load button from PuTTYgen's main interface.
4. Set the Files of type to All Files (*.*).
5. Select your PEM file and click Open.
6. Enter the passphrase of your PEM private key file if prompted and click OK.
7. Click OK on the successful import of the file notification.
8. Edit any key parameters if necessary and click Save private key.
9. Click Yes if you don't set any passphrase on your key before and getting warned about it.
10. Select the location and filename to save the generated key and click Save.