Auto-start Pageant on Windows

If you want Pageant (PuTTY’s SSH authentication agent) to start automatically when Windows boots, follow these steps:

Step 1: Open the Windows Registry Editor (regedit).

Step 2: Navigate to the following registry key for the current user:

Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run

Step 3: In the right pane, right-click and choose New > Expandable String Value. Using an Expandable String Value allows you to utilize environment variables in your command.

Step 4: Name the new value exactly as the program name; for example, Pageant.

Step 5: Right-click the newly-created value and select Modify. In the Value data field, paste the full path of the executable along with any necessary arguments. Adjust the paths if your installation or configuration differs.

For example, if your Pageant executable is installed in C:\Program Files\PuTTY\ and you have your keys and configuration stored in your user profile, your command might look like this:

"C:\Program Files\PuTTY\pageant.exe" --encrypted "%USERPROFILE%\Documents\private.ppk" --openssh-config "%USERPROFILE%\.ssh\pageant.conf"

After completing these steps, Pageant will automatically start with Windows, loading your specified keys and configuration.