termalTelnet · character mode
A Telnet client that isn't stuck in 1999.
Reach a switch, a router or a lab device over Telnet with a real tabbed terminal — xterm colours, resizable window, a hosts sidebar. Native on Windows 11, macOS and Linux, and in the browser on Pro. And because Telnet is unencrypted, the same app puts SSH one click away for any host that will take it.
Free on desktop · Telnet in the browser on Pro · Windows, macOS & Linux
01 / a modern terminal on an old protocol
Windows 11 dropped Telnet. Here's a better one.
The built-in telnet.exe is off by default on Windows 11, and turning the optional feature back on gives you a bare console. Termalin opens a Telnet host on port 23 (or any port) as a first-class session: browser-style tabs, xterm-256color rendering, and proper option negotiation. It answers the terminal-type and window-size (NAWS) requests, so a menu-driven device paints correctly and resizes when you drag the pane.
- ▸Tabs and a sidebar — many Telnet and SSH sessions in one window, not one shell per console.
- ▸Window-size negotiation — full-screen menus resize with the terminal.
- ▸Any port — the console port on your gear, or a raw TCP port for a quick check.
02 / in the browser too
Telnet from any browser, on Pro.
Sign in at termal.in/account on a Pro plan and open a Telnet host in the browser — nothing to install, the same terminal on a laptop or a phone. The browser gateway is authenticated to your account and, for safety, reaches public hosts only; to talk to gear on a private network, use the desktop app or route through a keyless Connector in that network. More on the web client →
03 / unencrypted — say it plainly
Telnet is clear text. Use it with your eyes open.
There's no encryption in Telnet: what you type, including passwords, travels the wire in the clear, and anyone between you and the device can read it. That's fine on a trusted local segment or an out-of-band console link, and it's still how a lot of switches, PDUs, embedded boards and legacy systems expose a shell. But when a device also speaks SSH, use SSH — Termalin is the same client for both, so migrating a host is a setting, not a new app. See every protocol →
Questions
Is there a Telnet client for Windows 11?
Yes — Termalin is a Telnet client for Windows 11 (and 10), macOS and Linux. Windows dropped the built-in telnet.exe from a default install years ago; instead of enabling an old optional feature, open a Telnet host in Termalin and get a proper tabbed terminal with xterm colours. Free, no host limits.
Is there a web Telnet client?
Yes — on a Pro plan you can open a Telnet host straight from the browser at termal.in/account, no install. The browser gateway reaches public hosts only; a device on a private network is reached from the desktop app or through a keyless Connector.
Is Telnet secure?
No. Telnet is unencrypted — everything, including any password you type, crosses the network in clear text, so anyone on the path can read it. Only use it on a trusted local network or a serial-style out-of-band link, and prefer SSH whenever the device supports it. Termalin does both, so you can move a host to SSH without changing tools.
What is Telnet still used for?
The console and management ports on network gear (switches, routers, PDUs), lab and embedded devices, legacy industrial systems, and quick reachability checks against a raw TCP port. Termalin answers the option negotiation (terminal type, window size) so those sessions come up in usable character mode.
Does the Telnet client have tabs and colours?
Yes — a Telnet session is a first-class host with the same browser-style tabs, xterm-256color rendering and hosts sidebar as SSH, and it negotiates window size so full-screen menus resize with the pane. Your SSH, serial and Telnet sessions sit in one window.
Telnet when you need it, SSH when you don't.
A modern Telnet client with tabs and colours on Windows, macOS and Linux — or in the browser on Pro — inside a full SSH client. Free to start; new accounts get Pro free for 14 days.
Free tier · 14-day Pro trial · serial terminal · free SSH client