How to Use Telnet on Mac OS X

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Last Updated: August 26, 2023 Tested

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Connect via SSH

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Unsecure Connection

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Q&A

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Tips

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Warnings

Telnet is a useful application that's been around for decades. You can use it to connect to remote servers for various purposes, such as remotely administering a machine through a Telnet server or manually return a result from a Web server.

Steps

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1
Open up the Terminal application found in the Utilities folder under Applications.
- This is similar to the command prompt found on Windows. Because OS X is based on UNIX, not MS-DOS, the commands are a bit different.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Connect via SSH

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To ensure a secure connection, use SSH (Secure Shell)
3
Enter a host name or IP address. In the field at the bottom of the New Connection window shown below type in the address of the server you wish to connect to.
- Note that you must have an account to log in.
Your keystrokes will not be displayed, for security purposes.
Click the + sign under the Server column.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Unsecure Connection

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This opens a new Terminal session.
2
Enter host name or IP address. Next to the blinking cursor, enter the appropriate login information as shown: telnet server.myplace.net 23
- Note that the port number may vary. Check with your server admin if the connection fails.

Community Q&A

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Question

How do I determine the name or IP address to put in the box?

Community Answer

If you are trying to telnet to a personal computer that you have physical access to, the IP address can be found by going to a website like WhatIsMyIP and finding the computer's public IP address. If you are trying to access some kind of service, your provider will provide you with a domain or IP address with port that you should type into the box.

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Question

My terminal says it's not responding. I keep on force-quitting it, but nothing's working. What do I do?

Community Answer

Make sure you typed the command correctly. To break out of (most) unresponsive commands, try pressing Ctrl+C.

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Tips

Port number may not be necessary.

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To exit the connection, hold type CTRL+] and then type 'quit' and press 'enter'.

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Warnings

Non-secure connections can easily be intercepted. Use with great caution.

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Incoming connections and authentication failures are usually logged by most servers, so avoid using Telnet maliciously.

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