WinSCP Installed for Users Only Cannot Be Detected by sft
Sep 18, 2025
Advanced Server Access
Okta Classic Engine
Okta Identity Engine
Overview
This article addresses the "sft winscp <servername>" erring out with Failed to find WinSCP.exe.
The complete error is:
error: Failed to find WinSCP.exe. Tried: []string{"C:\\Program Files\\WinSCP\\WinSCP.exe", "C:\\Program Files (x86)\\WinSCP\\WinSCP.exe", "C:\\Users\\<username>\\AppData\\Local\\Apps\\WinSCP\\WinSCP.exe"}
Applies To
- Okta Advanced Server Access (ASA)
- WinSCP
Cause
Currently, sft winscp (client tools) cannot detect any location apart from the three below:
- C:\\Program Files\
- C:\\Program Files (x86)\
- C:\\Users\username\AppData\Local\Apps\
WinSCP installation for users-only mode installs by default at:
- C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Programs\WinSCP\WinSCP.exe, so sft would not be able to detect it.
Solution
Reinstall WinSCP using any of the installation paths below. A custom installation option will be required to specify the location.
- C:\\Program Files\
- C:\\Program Files (x86)\
- C:\\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Apps\
