Telnet command

Updated: 07/13/2023 by Computer Hope
telnet command

The telnet command enables users to telnet to another computer from the command prompt. Additional information about with using telnet in Windows is on our telnet help page.

Tip

Unless there are no other options, we suggest not using Telnet for security reasons. Consider SSH (secure shell) as an alternative.

Availability

Telnet is an external command that is available for the following Microsoft operating systems as telnet.exe.

Telnet syntax

telnet [host [port]]
host Specifies the hostname or IP address of the remote computer.
port Specifies the port number or service name.

Commands available through the actual telnet program

close Closes the current connection.
display Displays operating parameters.
open Connects to a site.
quit Exit telnet.
set Set options (type 'set ?' for a list).

NTLM Turn on NTLM Authentication.
LOCAL_ECHO Turn on LOCAL_ECHO.
TERM x (where x is ANSI (American National Standards Institute), VT100, VT52, or VTNT)
CRLF Send both CR and LF
status Print status information.
unset Unset options (type 'unset ?' for a list).

NTLM Turn off NTLM Authentication.
LOCAL_ECHO Turn off LOCAL_ECHO.
CRLF Send only CR (no LF is sent)
?
help		 Print help information.

Telnet example

telnet myhost.com

Telnet to the computer myhost.com