How to Enable Telnet Feature in Vista and Windows 7

Most of you may be familiar with the telnet command. It is one of the well known Windows IP Utilities. If you are using a Windows XP computer, the telnet command is available by default. However, in case of Vista and Windows 7, the telnet command is disabled by default.

So when you try to use the telnet command in Windows Vista/7 you get the following error message:

‘telnet’ is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file.

You get this error because unlike Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7 have the telnet feature disabled by default. So, in order to fix this issue, you will have to manually enable/turn on the telnet feature.

Here is a step-by-step procedure to turn on the telnet feature in Vista and Windows 7:

1. Go to the Control Panel.
2. Click on the sub heading “Uninstall a program” under the main heading Programs.
   NOTE: IF you are in the Classic View click on Programs and Features.
3. In the left panel under the Tasks select the option Turn Windows features on or off.
4. Now, a new window will open up. In this new window, select the following options:
   Telnet Client
   Telnet Server (optional)
5. After selecting click on OK.

Now, wait for few minutes till the telnet feature is installed. Once the telnet feature is installed you can go to the command prompt and use the telnet command. System restart is not required.