Telnet (short for teletype network) is a protocol meant for internet or LAN communication. It is primarily used to control other computers easily. On Windows, it is available as a command-line utility, and using it helps in opening a command-line interface for the remote computer. However, some users have reported the error – Telnet is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program, or batch file when trying to use it.
Telnet is not recognized as an internal or external command
This error indicates that the Telnet utility is not installed on your system. However, Telnet is a default feature in Windows OS. So basically, the protocol isn’t enabled yet.
- Enable the Telnet client through Programs and Features
- Install Telnet using elevated Command Prompt
The Telnet client is disabled by default on Windows 11/10. It can be enabled again using the procedures explained below:
1] Enable the Telnet client through Programs and Features
If the Telnet client is disabled on your system, you could enable it through the Programs and Features menu.
Press Win+R to open the Run window and type the command appwiz.cpl. Press Enter to open the Programs and Features window.
Select Turn Windows features on or off from the options on the left-hand side.
Locate the option for Telnet client from the list and check the checkbox next to it.
Click on OK to save the settings and restart the system.
You won’t face the error after this.
2] Install Telnet using elevated Command Prompt
If the above process sounds cumbersome (or doesn’t work), you could enable the Telnet client using command line instruction. The procedure to do so is as follows:
Search for command prompt in the Windows search bar. Select Run as administrator from the options on the right-pane.
Type the following command in the elevated Command Prompt window and hit Enter to execute it:
dism /online /Enable-Feature /FeatureName:TelnetClient
Wait for a few minutes for the feature to execute. Then restart the system.
Hope it helps!
Take a look at some of these interesting Telnet tricks next.
