Coding⏱️ 3 min read📅 2026-06-15

How to Fix: mac cPanel: "puttygen: error loading unrecognised cipher name"

Error loading unrecognised cipher name in mac cPanel for SFTP conversion.

Quick Answer: The issue is likely due to the incorrect key format. Try using the correct OpenSSH private key format instead of BEGIN OPENSSH PRIVATE KEY.

📋 Table of Contents

  1. 🛑 Root Causes of the Error
  2. 🔧 Proven Troubleshooting Steps
  3. 🎯 Final Words

The error 'puttygen: error loading unrecognised cipher name' occurs when attempting to convert a private SSH key to the .ppk format for use with SFTP via FileZilla within cPanel on a Mac. This issue affects users who have generated their SSH keys using OpenSSH and are trying to transfer them to a platform that requires .ppk format.

This error can be frustrating as it prevents users from establishing secure connections for file transfers or other SFTP-related tasks. Fortunately, the solution involves identifying the correct cipher name used during key generation and updating the cPanel settings accordingly.

🛑 Root Causes of the Error

  • The primary reason for this error is that OpenSSH uses a different cipher name than PuTTY. When generating SSH keys using OpenSSH (as in your case), the default cipher name 'ssh-rsa' may not be recognized by PuTTY, leading to the error.
  • An alternative reason could be that the system's locale settings are causing the issue. If the system's locale is set to a non-English setting, it might affect the recognition of the cipher name.

🔧 Proven Troubleshooting Steps

Updating cPanel settings to use OpenSSH-compatible cipher names

  1. Step 1: Open cPanel and navigate to the 'Security' section. Click on 'SSH Keys' and then click on the 'Edit' button next to your SSH key.
  2. Step 2: In the 'Edit SSH Key' window, scroll down to the 'Cipher' dropdown menu and select 'ssh-rsa'. This should match the cipher name used during key generation using OpenSSH.
  3. Step 3: Click 'Save Changes' to update the settings. This may take a few seconds to apply.

Converting the SSH key to .ppk format manually

  1. Step 1: Use PuTTYgen to convert your OpenSSH private key to the .ppk format. Open PuTTYgen and click on 'File' > 'Load PPK file'. Navigate to the location of your OpenSSH private key and select it.
  2. Step 2: In the 'PuTTYgen' window, click on 'Generate' and follow the prompts to save the converted key in .ppk format.

🎯 Final Words

To resolve the issue with 'puttygen: error loading unrecognised cipher name', update cPanel settings to use OpenSSH-compatible cipher names or convert your SSH key to the .ppk format manually using PuTTYgen. By following these steps, you should be able to establish secure connections for file transfers or other SFTP-related tasks.

Did this fix your problem?

If not, try searching for specific error codes.

🔍 Search Error Database

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

🛠️ Related Fixes

How to Fix: Stuck in tutorial hell after 4 years: How do I b

Fix Stuck in tutorial hell after 4 years: How do I bui. Practice build

How to Fix: Trying to sync mutliple audio tracks to a movie

Fix Trying to sync mutliple audio tracks to a movie bu. Consider using

How to Fix: Failed to merge latest branches from upstream re

Fix Failed to merge latest branches from upstream repo. Try running 'g