File extension PPK
| File type | PuTTY Win32 Telnet/SSH Client Private Key Format |
| Developer | PuTTY |
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What is a PPK file?
PPK file contains private key generated by PuTTYgen tool and used by SSH clients (such as PuTTY or Telnet). A pair of keys (consisting of a private and public key) is used in user authorization processes and file data integrity checking.
User’s private key allows decryption of information encrypted with user’s public key. PPK files are used for secure communication through encrypted channels.
Program(s) that can open the .PPK file
How to open PPK files
If you cannot open the PPK file on your computer - there may be several reasons. The first and most important reason (the most common) is the lack of a suitable software that supports PPK among those that are installed on your device.
A very simple way to solve this problem is to find and download the appropriate application. The first part of the task has already been done – the software supporting the PPK file can be found in the table. Now just download and install the appropriate application.
Possible problems with the PPK format files
The inability to open and operate the PPK file does not necessarily mean that you do not have an appropriate software installed on your computer. There may be other problems that also block our ability to operate the PuTTY Win32 Telnet/SSH Client Private Key Format file. Below is a list of possible problems.
- Corruption of a PPK file which is being opened
- Incorrect links to the PPK file in registry entries.
- Accidental deletion of the description of the PPK from the Windows registry
- Incomplete installation of an application that supports the PPK format
- The PPK file which is being opened is infected with an undesirable malware.
- The computer does not have enough hardware resources to cope with the opening of the PPK file.
- Drivers of equipment used by the computer to open a PPK file are out of date.
If you are sure that all of these reasons do not exist in your case (or have already been eliminated), the PPK file should operate with your programs without any problem. If the problem with the PPK file has not been solved, it may be due to the fact that in this case there is also another rare problem with the PPK file. In this case, the only you can do is to ask for assistance of a professional staff.
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How to associate the file with an installed software?
If you want to associate a file with a new program (e.g. my-file.PPK) you have two ways to do it. The first and the easiest one is to right-click on the selected PPK file. From the drop-down menu select "Choose default program", then click "Browse" and find the desired program. The whole operation must be confirmed by clicking OK. The second and more difficult to do is associate the PPK file extension to the corresponding software in the Windows Registry.
Is there one way to open unknown files?
Many files contain only simple text data. It is possible that while opening unknown files (e.g. PPK) with a simple text editor like Windows Notepad will allow us to see some of the data encoded in the file. This method allows you to preview the contents of many files, but probably not in such a structure as a program dedicated to support them.