Telnet

Updated: April 17, 2012

Applies To: Windows 7, Windows Server 2000, Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Vista, Windows XP

Communicates with a computer running the Telnet Server service. For examples of how this command can be used, see Examples.

Syntax

telnet [/a] [/e <EscapeChar>] [/f <FileName>] [/l <UserName>] [/t {vt100 | vt52 | ansi | vtnt}] [<Host> [<Port>]] [/?]

Parameters

Parameter Description

/a

Attempt automatic logon. Same as /l option except uses the currently logged on user’s name.

/e <EscapeChar>

Escape character used to enter the Telnet client prompt.

/f <FileName>

File name used for client side logging.

/l <UserName>

Specifies the user name to log on with on the remote computer.

/t {vt100 | vt52 | ansi | vtnt}

Specifies the terminal type. Supported terminal types are vt100, vt52, ansi, and vtnt.

<Host> [<Port>]

Specifies the hostname or IP address of the remote computer to connect to, and optionally the TCP port to use (default is TCP port 23).

/?

Displays Help at the command prompt. Alternatively, you can type /h.

Remarks

  • You must install the Telnet client software before you can run this command. For more information, see Installing Telnet.

  • You can run Telnet without parameters to enter the Telnet context, indicated by the Telnet prompt (Microsoft Telnet>). From the Telnet prompt, you can use Telnet commands to manage the computer running the Telnet client.

Examples

Use Telnet to connect to the computer running the Telnet Server Service at telnet.microsoft.com.

telnet telnet.microsoft.com

Use Telnet to connect to the computer running the Telnet Server Service at telnet.microsoft.com on TCP port 44 and log the session activity in a local file called telnetlog.txt

telnet /f telnetlog.txt telnet.microsoft.com 44

Additional references