Telnet is a useful application that's been around for decades. You can use it to connect to remote servers for various purposes, such as remotely administering a machine through a Telnet server or manually return a result from a Web server.

Method 1
Method 1 of 2:

Connect via SSH

  1. 1
    To ensure a secure connection, use SSH (Secure Shell)
  2. 2
    From the Shell menu, select New Remote Connection...
  3. 3
    Enter a host name or IP address. In the field at the bottom of the New Connection window shown below type in the address of the server you wish to connect to.
    • Note that you must have an account to log in.
  4. 4
    Click Connect
  5. 5
    You will be prompted for your password. Your keystrokes will not be displayed, for security purposes.
  6. 6
    Save your settings. Click the + sign under the Server column.
  7. 7
    Enter the host name or IP address of the server in the entry screen pictured.
  8. 8
    Click OK.
  9. 9
    Enter the user ID in the User field, click Connect, and your information will be saved.
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Method 2
Method 2 of 2:

Unsecure Connection

Community Q&A

  • Question
    How do I determine the name or IP address to put in the box?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    If you are trying to telnet to a personal computer that you have physical access to, the IP address can be found by going to a website like WhatIsMyIP and finding the computer's public IP address. If you are trying to access some kind of service, your provider will provide you with a domain or IP address with port that you should type into the box.
  • Question
    My terminal says it's not responding. I keep on force-quitting it, but nothing's working. What do I do?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    Make sure you typed the command correctly. To break out of (most) unresponsive commands, try pressing Ctrl+C.
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Warnings

  • Non-secure connections can easily be intercepted. Use with great caution.
    ⧼thumbs_response⧽
  • Incoming connections and authentication failures are usually logged by most servers, so avoid using Telnet maliciously.
    ⧼thumbs_response⧽
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About This Article

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wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, 24 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. This article has been viewed 813,477 times.
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Co-authors: 24
Updated: August 10, 2022
Views: 813,477
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