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Integration with Windows

You can integrate WinSCP with Microsoft Windows in several ways. You can set up the integration during installation or later on Integration page of Preferences dialog.

WinSCP can also closely cooperate with other applications namely PuTTY.

Desktop and Quick Launch Icons
Windows Explorer’s ‘Send To’ Context Menu
Protocol URL Addresses
Search Path
Drag&drop Shell Extension

Desktop and Quick Launch Icons

You can have shortcut icons to WinSCP on your desktop or on the Quick Launch toolbar (not available on Windows 7 and newer). The shortcut can display WinSCP’s login dialog or open a site (stored session), site folder, or workspace directly.

To create a shortcut to WinSCP, simply allow the program to create the icons itself when running the installer, or click the buttons found in the Preferences dialog via the Options/Preferences menu in WinSCP’s user interface if it’s already installed. Shortcuts to sites, site folders and workspaces are easily made from WinSCP’s Login dialog box by selecting the target from the list then selecting the shortcut type by clicking the Shell icon button.

The icons associated with site also serve as upload drop targets, allowing files to be automatically uploaded when dragged over the icon and dropped1.

Windows Explorer’s ‘Send To’ Context Menu

You can have shortcut icons appear in the ‘Send To’ menu, found in the File menu in Windows Explorer and displayed when a file is right-clicked. Shortcuts can either open WinSCP and present the Login dialog or open a site (stored session) directly. In both cases after the site is opened, the selected file(s) are uploaded to the server; WinSCP can then close or go on to display its user interface.

To create a shortcut that displays the Login dialog box, use installer or go to Preferences dialog. Alternatively, a shortcut that automatically opens site can be created by going to the Sites/Stored sessions page of the Login dialog box; select the site and click the Shell icon button.

To remove the icon, go to C:\Users\username\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\SendTo folder (or to C:\Documents and Settings\username\SendTo folder on Windows XP and older) and remove respective shortcut.

Protocol URL Addresses

WinSCP can be registered to handle protocol URL addresses.

Search Path

From installer or Preferences dialog you can add WinSCP installation directory to search path (environment variable PATH). This is particularly useful if you use console/scripting mode.