How to Enable Telnet and TFTP in Windows 11

This guide provides straightforward instructions for enabling the built-in Telnet and TFTP (Trivial File Transfer Protocol) client utilities in Windows 11. While both tools are disabled by default for security purposes, you can quickly activate them using the graphical Windows Features menu, the Command Prompt, or Windows PowerShell.

Method 1: Enable via Windows Features (GUI)

  1. Press the Windows Key + R to open the Run dialog box.
  2. Type optionalfeatures and press Enter.
  3. In the Windows Features window that appears, scroll down the list.
  4. Check the box next to Telnet Client.
  5. Check the box next to TFTP Client.
  6. Click OK.
  7. Windows will download and apply the necessary files. Once complete, click Close.

Method 2: Enable via Command Prompt (DISM)

  1. Press the Windows Key, type cmd, right-click on Command Prompt, and select Run as administrator.

  2. To enable the Telnet client, enter the following command and press Enter:

    dism /online /Enable-Feature /FeatureName:TelnetClient

  3. To enable the TFTP client, enter the following command and press Enter:

    dism /online /Enable-Feature /FeatureName:TFTP

  4. Wait for the operations to complete successfully.

Method 3: Enable via Windows PowerShell

  1. Press the Windows Key + X and select Terminal (Admin) or search for PowerShell, right-click it, and choose Run as administrator.

  2. To enable the Telnet client, run:

    Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName TelnetClient

  3. To enable the TFTP client, run:

    Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName TFTP

  4. If prompted to restart your computer, press Y to proceed, though a restart is typically not required.

Verifying the Installation

To verify that the utilities are active:

  1. Open Command Prompt or PowerShell.
  2. Type telnet and press Enter. If active, the prompt will change to Microsoft Telnet>. Type quit to exit.
  3. Type tftp and press Enter. If active, the system will display the TFTP usage instructions and available parameters.