Telnet Client for macOS, Windows & Linux
Use Tempest as a Telnet client on macOS, Windows, and Linux — connect to routers, switches, network devices, and legacy systems with one tabbed UI.
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Use Tempest as a Telnet client on macOS, Windows, and Linux — connect to routers, switches, network devices, and legacy systems with one tabbed UI.
Tempest works as a Telnet client for routers, switches, embedded devices, and legacy systems — same tabbed UI, same color schemes, same SSH-style connection list. As of Tempest 3.6+, the Telnet protocol is fully native (Rust implementation, no external telnet binary required) on macOS, Windows, and Linux.
If you're managing Cisco gear, MikroTik routers, factory PLCs, or anything else that still speaks Telnet, Tempest gives you a modern terminal experience without losing the ability to talk plain Telnet.
Click + to add a new connection.
Choose Telnet as the protocol.
Set host and port (default: 23).
Optional: configure proxy (HTTP CONNECT, SOCKS5, or ProxyCommand) for Telnet over a tunnel.
Click Connect.
The session opens in a tab. Encoding, color, and copy/paste behave identically to SSH tabs.
Older versions of Tempest shelled out to the system's telnet binary, which is no longer installed by default on macOS Sonoma+ or modern Windows. The native Rust implementation works out of the box on every platform — no brew install telnet, no Windows feature toggle.
telnet command was removed)Apple removed the built-in telnet command in macOS 10.13 High Sierra and it never came back — on a modern Mac, typing telnet in Terminal prints command not found.
The fastest fix is Tempest: Telnet support is built in (native Rust implementation — nothing to install), so you just download Tempest for macOS, add a Telnet connection with your host and port, and connect. Instead of a bare prompt you get tabs, saved connections, color schemes, and proxy support — with the same connection list synced to Windows, Linux, and your phone.
If you specifically want the classic command-line client back:
brew install telnet restores it via Homebrew (or brew install inetutils for the full GNU network tools).
nc -vz <host> 23 ships with macOS and works for checking whether a Telnet port is open — but netcat doesn't negotiate Telnet options, so interactive sessions with network gear can misbehave.
Windows is similar: the optional "Telnet Client" feature is off by default on Windows 10/11, which is why a client that speaks Telnet natively saves a trip through Windows Features.
Telnet sends passwords and session data in cleartext. Use SSH whenever possible. Telnet is appropriate for:
Legacy device management on isolated networks
Initial bootstrap of devices that only support Telnet
Reaching equipment behind a tunnel that you trust
For production access, combine with a proxy or jump host so the cleartext segment stays inside a trusted boundary.
SSH Port Forwarding — wrap Telnet inside an encrypted SSH tunnel
Connect to Game Servers via RCON — the same Rust implementation also powers Tempest's RCON support
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