The portable version of Solar Putty stores its dependencies in a specific subfolder. Locate your Solar Putty portable directory (where SolarPutty.exe lives). Inside that directory, you must create a folder named:
Library (case-sensitive – must start with a capital L)
Example path:
D:\PortableApps\SolarPutty\Library\
Now copy both WinSCP.exe and WinSCP.com into the Library folder. solar putty unable to download winscp libraries portable
Solar-PuTTY by SolarWinds is a favorite among network engineers and sysadmins for its tabbed interface, credential management, and session organization. However, if you are trying to run it in Portable Mode (from a USB drive or a non-standard folder), you may encounter a frustrating error when trying to initiate a file transfer:
"Unable to download WinSCP libraries."
This error halts your ability to use the SCP/SFTP file transfer features. Fortunately, the fix is straightforward. This post explains why it happens and how to resolve it manually. The portable version of Solar Putty stores its
Set environment variable:
set WINSCP_IGNORE_CERT_ERRORS=1
If none of the above steps help, consider reporting the issue on Solar-Putty's official forums or GitHub repository (if it's hosted there). The developers might be able to provide a fix or a workaround.
Attempt downloading WinSCP manually using the same URL Solar-PuTTY uses: "Unable to download WinSCP libraries
Solar Putty specifically looks for two files:
✅ Step 1: Add WinSCP portable files manually.
✅ Step 2: Ensure write permissions on the USB/portable folder.
✅ Step 3: Disable antivirus/firewall temporarily to test.
✅ Step 4: Use installed WinSCP if portability isn’t mandatory.
✅ Step 5: Update Solar Putty to the latest version.
✅ Step 6: Edit config to disable auto-download.
✅ Step 7: Consider alternative portable SSH clients.
If you frequently use Solar Putty portable across multiple PCs: