How to create SSH tunnel using PuTTY in Windows?

With the PuTTY suite, you can set up a tunnel either using the PuTTY itself (GUI) or using the command-line tool plink.exe.

With the plink.exe, you use the same arguments as with the OpenSSH ssh, except for the -f, which does not have an equivalent in Windows.

plink.exe -N -L 2000:SomeIp:2000 myusername@myLinuxBox

Reference: Using the command-line connection tool Plink

With the PuTTY, the -L 2000:SomeIp:2000 translates to:

So it's actually, what you claim to have tried. If you have any problems, use the PuTTY event log to investigate:

The -N translates to the option "Don't start a shell or command at all".

But it probably does not make sense with a GUI client to enable it, as you get a window anyway, you just cannot do anything with it. See also the PuTTY wish no-terminal-window.

If you are going to use the tunnel to connect with PuTTY to another server, you can actually set up the tunnel as a part of the session settings with use of plink as a proxy, see: PuTTY configuration equivalent to OpenSSH ProxyCommand.

You probably want to use plink.exe instead of the GUI client. The command line syntax is compatible iirc.

Or you can wade through the putty GUI, which also allows this. See Connection > SSH > Tunnels on the left side with the option tree.