WinSCP is an open source SFTP client for Windows. Its main function is
the secure file transfer between a local and a remote computer. Beyond this,
WinSCP offers basic file manager functionality. It uses Secure Shell (SSH) and
supports, in addition to Secure FTP, also the legacy SCP protocol.
WinSCP may be downloaded at the project's
download page.
The program is available as an installable program, and also as a standalone
.exe file.
More information regarding WinSCP can also be found at the
WinSCP FAQ.
You can access your files stored on your Linux account through WinSCP.
- Launch WinSCP
- Fill out the the hostname, username that you use to login at the PDS Llab, and
password as in the image below.
- Click "Login". The first time you connect to a new host, WinSCP will alert you
that the host key was not found. Press yes to continue.
In WinSCP, there are two different interface options:
- Norton Commander: There is the standard "Norton Commander" like
interface, which displays both the local and remote directories at once. As it
is primarily intended to be controlled with a keyboard, there are extensive
keyboard shortcuts for this interface. For example, the "tab" key can be used to
switch between remote and local directories. Commonly used shortcuts are
displayed as part of the interface.
- Explorer-like There is also the "Explorer" interface, which should be
more familiar to Windows users. It features only one pane, which shows the
remote directory. A directory tree is shown alongside the selected folder's
contents. Rather than transfer files from within the program itself, files and
folders are dragged and dropped into WinSCP. We recommend this interface for new
users.
It is simple to change the interface. To change it,
- Click on the "view" menu (or "options", if using the Norton Commander
interface).
- Click on "preferences".
- In the preferences window, click on "interface" on the left menu.
- Choose an interface as shown below.
You can edit your remote files through WinSCP by using either WinSCP's internal
editor, notepad, or another local editor. By default, WinSCP opens files in its
own editor. To open a file for editing,
- Navigate to the folder that contains the file.
- Right click on the file, and select "edit". By default, the file will open in
WinSCP's own simple editor.
- When finished, save the file with the editor. WinSCP will automatically transfer
the file to the remote host.
You can configure WinSCP to open your files for editing in a text editor of your
choice. To do so,
- Click on the "view" menu (or "options", if using the Norton Commander
interface).
- Click "Preferences."
- Select "Editors" on the left menu.
- Click the add button. The window is shown below.
- Choose the "External Editor" radio button, and click browse.
- In this window, navigate to a local editor of your choice. You may also
customize
what the selected editor opens.
- Be sure to move your new editor up in the list.