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    Simple Application Server:Transfer files between Windows and Linux using WinSCP

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    Simple Application Server:Transfer files between Windows and Linux using WinSCP

    Last Updated:Jun 20, 2026

    WinSCP is an open-source graphical SFTP client for Windows that also supports the SCP protocol. This topic shows you how to connect to a Linux server using WinSCP and then upload or download files.

    Prerequisites

    • WinSCP is installed. For more information, see the official WinSCP website.

    • The Simple Application Server instance is Running.

    • Make sure that port 22 is allowed in the instance's firewall. By default, port 22 is allowed when the server is created. For more information, see Firewall settings.

    Procedure

    Step 1: Connect to the server

    Connect with password

    1. Open WinSCP. The Login dialog box automatically appears.

    2. In the Session area, configure the following parameters.

      • File protocol: Select SFTP or SCP.

      • Hostname: Enter the public IP address of the Simple Application Server instance.

        Note

        You can find the public IP address on the server card in the Simple Application Server console.

      • Port: The default value is 22.

      • User name: Enter the username of the Simple Application Server instance, for example, root.

      • Password: Enter the password of the Simple Application Server instance.

        Note

        If you forget the password for your Linux server, reset it. For more information, see Set or reset the server password.

    3. Click Login to open the WinSCP file transfer interface.

      If this is your first time connecting, a Warning dialog box appears. Click Accept(A).

      Interface overview:

      • The left pane shows the directories on your local computer.

      • The right pane shows the directories on the Simple Application Server instance.

    Connect with key pair

    1. For the Linux server you want to connect to, create or import a key pair, and then bind the key pair.

      If you have already done this, skip this step.

    2. Open WinSCP and configure the key pair.

      1. After you open WinSCP, the Logon dialog box automatically appears. In the Session area, click Advanced(A)....

      2. In the Advanced Site Settings dialog box, select Verify from the left-side navigation pane. In the Private key file(K) area, click ....

      3. Select the private key file (in .pem format) that is saved on your local computer, and then click Open.

        If you cannot find the .pem private key file, select All private key files(*.ppk;*.pem;*.key;id_*) from the file type drop-down list to display all supported private key formats.

      4. In the OK dialog box that appears, click OK.

        WinSCP supports only PuTTY-formatted key files. After you confirm, WinSCP automatically converts the .pem key file to the PuTTY format.

      5. After the conversion is complete, click Save. In the Information dialog box that appears, click OK.

        The path of the converted private key file is now displayed in the authentication parameters.

      6. Click OK.

    3. Connect to the Simple Application Server instance.

      1. In the Logon dialog box, configure the following parameters in the Session area.

        • File protocol: Select SFTP or SCP.

        • Hostname: Enter the public IP address of the Simple Application Server instance.

          Note

          You can find the public IP address on the server card in the Simple Application Server console.

        • Port: The default value is 22.

        • Username: Enter the username of the Simple Application Server instance, for example, root.

          Note

          When you connect using a key pair, you do not need to enter a password.

      2. Click Login to open the WinSCP file transfer interface.

        If this is your first time connecting, a Warning dialog box appears. Click Accept(A).

        Interface overview:

        • The left pane shows the directories on your local computer.

        • The right pane shows the directories on the Simple Application Server instance.

    Step 2: Upload or download files

    • Upload files to the Simple Application Server instance

      To upload a file to the Simple Application Server instance, drag it from a directory in the left pane to a directory in the right pane.

      For example, the local directory in the left pane of the SFTP client is C:\Users\Administrator\Documents\, which contains the test.txt file to be uploaded. The remote directory in the right pane is /home/ecs-user/.

    • Download files to your local computer

      To download a file to your local computer, drag it from a directory in the right pane to a directory in the left pane.

      For example, the remote directory in the right pane of the SFTP client is /home/ecs-user/, which contains the test.txt file to be downloaded. The local directory in the left pane is C:\Users\Administrator\Documents\.

    References

    If you cannot connect to the server, see Remote connection FAQ for troubleshooting.