Guide
How to import saved sessions from PuTTY, MobaXterm, SecureCRT, CSV and SSH config
If you've looked after servers for a while, your connections are probably saved somewhere already: sessions in PuTTY, bookmarks in MobaXterm, a SecureCRT sessions folder, a spreadsheet, or Host entries in your SSH config. Typing them all in again is nobody's idea of fun.
The RemoteAccessApp app for Windows reads those files and shows you everything it found in one list before anything is added. You tick what you want, choose where it goes, and it never imports a saved password.
- A preview before anything is added
- No duplicates on a second import
- Passwords are never imported
Updated · Works on Windows 10 and 11
Import your saved sessions
Step 1: Open the import menu
In the RemoteAccessApp app, open the Connections page and click the arrow next to Add host. Point to Import from file.
Step 2: Choose where your sessions are
Pick the entry that matches what you have:
- PuTTY sessions on this PC reads the sessions saved for your Windows account.
- SecureCRT sessions folder… opens SecureCRT's
Sessionsfolder, or lets you pick another. - SSH config file (~/.ssh/config) reads your own SSH config.
- Choose a file… for anything else: a PuTTY .reg export, MobaXterm's
MobaXterm.inior a .mxtsessions export, a SecureCRT XML export, a CSV file, an SSH config file or an .rdp file. The app works out what kind of file it is.
Step 3: Check the preview
The import window lists every host it found with its type, address, folder and a status: New, Already saved, Saved · will update or Listed twice. Anything it left out is explained in a note. Tick the hosts you want, or use Tick all, Only new or None.
Step 4: Choose folders, duplicates and keys
Imported hosts go in a folder called Imported, or tick Keep the folders from the file. Under Hosts already saved, choose Skip them (the default), Update them or Add them again. Tick Import the key files these sessions use to add each key file to your key list once (you're asked for its passphrase if it has one).
Step 5: Import
The button says what will happen, such as Import 4 hosts or Import 2 · update 5. Click it, and the hosts appear on the Connections page, ready to open.
What's imported from each source
PuTTY
From this PC's registry (only read, never changed) or a .reg export: SSH sessions with their host, port, user name, .ppk key file and any HTTP, SOCKS4 or SOCKS5 proxy (without the proxy's password), and serial sessions with their COM port, speed, data bits, parity, stop bits and flow control. Default Settings is skipped. Telnet, Rlogin and raw sessions are left out with a note, and port forwardings aren't imported.
MobaXterm
From MobaXterm.ini or a .mxtsessions export: SSH, SFTP, FTP, Remote Desktop, VNC and serial bookmarks, in their folders, with SSH key file paths. Serial bookmarks bring their port and speed, so check the line settings after importing. Other bookmark types, such as Telnet, Mosh or WSL, are left out with a note.
SecureCRT
From a Sessions folder of .ini files (subfolders become folders) or an XML export: SSH sessions with their host, port, user name and identity file, and serial sessions. Telnet, Rlogin, TAPI and raw sessions are left out with a note.
SSH config
Each Host entry with its HostName, User, Port and IdentityFile (offered for key import). Include lines are followed. Patterns like Host * aren't hosts, and Match blocks are skipped with a note.
A CSV file
Any spreadsheet saved as CSV, with a header row, separated by commas, semicolons or tabs. Choose Save a CSV template… in the same menu for a file with these columns and an example of each kind of host:
name,host,port,username,protocol,group,tags,notes
Columns are matched by common names too, such as Host Name, Address or IP for the host, and Folder or Path for the group. If one is matched wrongly, change it in the import window and the list updates. A domain and a keyfile column are read too.
- protocol can be ssh, sftp, ftp, ftps, rdp, vnc or serial; empty means SSH. For serial, the host is the COM port and the port column is the speed.
- host can include the user and port, as in
deploy@web1:2222, and a user likeOFFICE\alexis split into domain and user for Remote Desktop. - Rows with no address are skipped and counted. Notes show in the preview but aren't saved, because hosts have no notes field.
What's never imported
- Passwords. Password fields in any of these files are ignored, and the import tells you. You're asked for a password the first time you connect, or you can switch the host to a key.
- Jump hosts. A session that goes through a jump host, gateway or firewall (ProxyJump in an SSH config, for example) is imported as a direct connection with a note on it. The app's proxy support is HTTP and SOCKS, so recreate the route another way if you need it. See SSH through a proxy.
- Port forwardings and session types the app doesn't have, such as Telnet.
Nothing is changed at the source
Importing again later
Hosts are matched on their type, address, port and user name, so a second import shows what you already have as Already saved. With Update them, a saved host takes the address, port, user and folder from the file; its saved password and key stay. That makes it easy to keep a shared CSV as the list everyone imports from.
Your existing Remote Desktop and SSH connections on this PC can come in the same way: Import from this PC… in the same menu reads your SSH config, .rdp files in Documents and Windows' recent Remote Desktop list. For a short version of these steps to keep at hand, see the help article on importing saved sessions and hosts.
What it costs
Importing is free. Imported hosts are ordinary saved hosts, and the free plan has up to 5 saved hosts and web panels together, so for a bigger list, untick the rest or get Pro for unlimited hosts and end-to-end encrypted password sync. Imported hosts sync to every PC you sign in on. To start, download RemoteAccessApp; the SSH client and RDP and VNC manager pages show what the hosts can do once they're in.
Questions, answered
More on cloud servers and imports
- Manage AWS EC2 & LightsailImport EC2 and Lightsail instances as SSH and RDP hosts with a read-only IAM key, then start, stop and reboot them from your host list.Read the guide
- Manage DigitalOcean DropletsA custom-scoped token, your Droplets imported as SSH hosts with root and your key, and power on, shut down and reboot from the list.Read the guide
- Manage Azure VMsAn app registration with the Reader role, your VMs imported as RDP and SSH hosts, and start, stop, deallocate and restart from the list.Read the guide
- Run a command without a sessionRun one command or VBScript on your PCs without a live session: straight away under unattended access, otherwise after the person there allows it.Read the guide
- Cloud servers and PCs in one placeAWS, DigitalOcean and Azure servers next to your PCs: import, connect, start and stop in one window, with keys that stay yours.Read the post
Related
- SSH & SFTP clientTerminal tabs, an SFTP and FTP file manager, key sign-in and one command to every server.Learn more
- RDP & VNC managerSave RDP, VNC, SSH, SFTP, FTP hosts and web admin panels in one list, and open them in tabs.Learn more
- SSH to a Linux serverConnect to a Linux server from Windows or another Linux machine, check its key, and copy files.Read the guide
- Copy files between serversA step-by-step server-to-server copy over SFTP or FTP, with nothing saved on your own disk.Read the guide
