Install on Windows

linscp runs on 64-bit Windows 10 and 11. You can install it with the setup program or unpack the portable zip and run it from any folder. Both come from the download page or GitHub releases.

The first-run warning

linscp’s Windows files are not code-signed yet. When you open the setup program or linscp.exe for the first time, Microsoft Defender SmartScreen may say it protected your PC. Click More info, check that the file name is the one you downloaded, then click Run anyway.

Tip

Download only from the project’s GitHub releases. Each release page lists the files it published, so you can compare the file name and size.

Use the setup program

1. Run linscp-0.6.1-setup.exe.
2. Choose whether to install for all users (needs administrator rights) or only for you.
3. Choose the setup type. Full includes the translations of the interface; Compact leaves them out and keeps English only.
4. Pick the extra tasks:
   • a desktop icon (off by default);
   • an upload shortcut in Explorer’s Send to menu;
   • opening sftp://, ftp://, s3:// and similar links in linscp;
   • adding the install folder to PATH, so linscp-cli works in any terminal (only for an all-users install).
5. Finish, and start linscp from the Start menu.

The setup program also registers the shell extension that lets you drag files from linscp straight into Windows Explorer folders. If WinSCP’s copy of that extension is already registered, setup leaves it in place.

To remove linscp, use Settings › Apps › Installed apps. Uninstalling also removes the link handler and the PATH entry.

Use the portable zip

1. Unzip linscp-0.6.1-portable.zip into a folder you can write to, such as a USB stick.
2. Run linscp.exe from that folder.

The zip contains an empty linscp.ini beside the program. While that file is there, linscp and linscp-cli keep every setting in it and write nothing to the registry. Copy the whole folder to take your sites with you.

Where your settings go

An installed linscp stores its settings in the registry, under the same key WinSCP uses: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Martin Prikryl\WinSCP 2. Sites you saved in WinSCP therefore show up in linscp right away, and changes made in one program appear in the other.

Caution

Because the two programs share one configuration, a mistake or a bug in this pre-release can affect your WinSCP setup too. Before the first run, back up WinSCP’s configuration (in WinSCP: Tools › Export/Backup Configuration), or use the portable zip to keep linscp separate.

linscp and WinSCP lists what else the two have in common, and configuration storage covers export and cleanup.

Next step

Make your first connection.