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CLI Open source 5,156 installs/mo

telnet for Mac

User interface to the TELNET protocol

Quick answer: telnet is a command-line tool for macOS. Install it with brew install telnet. It is distributed under the BSD-4-Clause-UC AND APSL-1.0 licence. It has 5,156 Homebrew installs in the last 30 days.

What telnet is

telnet is a command-line tool for macOS: user interface to the TELNET protocol.

It is distributed as a Homebrew formula, which builds or pours a binary and puts it on your PATH. It is distributed under the BSD-4-Clause-UC AND APSL-1.0 licence.

How to install telnet

  1. Open Terminal (press ⌘ + Space and type “Terminal”).
  2. If Homebrew is not installed yet, run the installer below once.
  3. Run brew install telnet.

Homebrew installer, if you need it:

Prefer a graphical installer? Download it from the official site. MacPicks never hosts or mirrors binaries — the Homebrew command always pulls from the vendor's own release.

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Frequently asked questions

How do I install telnet on Mac?

Run brew install telnet in Terminal. This requires Homebrew; if you do not have it, install it first with the command below.

Is telnet open source?

Yes — Homebrew distributes it under the BSD-4-Clause-UC AND APSL-1.0 licence.

Does telnet run on Apple silicon?

Homebrew publishes this formula for macOS. If upstream does not ship an Apple silicon build, Rosetta 2 handles the Intel binary.

How popular is telnet?

It was installed 5,156 times in the last 30 days according to Homebrew analytics, ranking #313 in this catalogue.

What version of telnet is current?

The latest packaged version is 308.