How to enable Telnet Client in Windows

Enabling Telnet Client in Windows restores the built-in telnet command for quick raw TCP connection checks and for legacy workflows that still depend on the Telnet client binary.

In current Windows 10 and Windows 11 releases, Telnet Client is an optional Windows feature instead of a default console tool. The DISM PowerShell cmdlets manage those features in the running OS image, so Get-WindowsOptionalFeature reports the current TelnetClient state and Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature turns it on from an elevated shell.

You need an elevated PowerShell session to change optional features, and managed PCs can block the install through policy or an organization-controlled update source. Telnet traffic is unencrypted, so use it as a basic connectivity or legacy-client tool rather than a secure remote shell for normal administration.

Steps to enable Telnet Client in Windows with PowerShell:

Open PowerShell as an administrator.

Related: How to run PowerShell as administrator
Check the current feature state.
```
Get-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName TelnetClient
```
If Telnet Client is still disabled, running telnet usually returns a not recognized error because telnet.exe is not yet available in Windows.
Enable the optional feature in the running Windows installation.
```
Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName TelnetClient -All -NoRestart
```
If Windows reports that a restart is required, reboot before trying to use telnet.
Run the feature-state command again and confirm the state is now Enabled.
```
Get-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName TelnetClient
```
Start the client to confirm telnet.exe is available.
```
telnet
```
A successful launch opens the interactive Microsoft Telnet> prompt.
Type quit to leave the Telnet client and return to the shell.
```
quit
```