Tera Term 5.7.0 for Windows

Tera Term 5.7.0 is a free, open-source terminal emulator for Windows, released on September 4, 2026 by the TeraTerm Project. It connects to servers over SSH or Telnet and to routers, microcontrollers and other hardware through a serial port. You can download Tera Term for Windows from the project's website or its GitHub page.

Quick facts

• Version: 5.7.0 (September 4, 2026)
• Developer: TeraTerm Project; originally created by Takashi Teranishi
• Licence: 3-clause BSD License, free
• Size: about 11.8 MB according to catalogue data
• Source code: GitHub

System requirements

According to the official requirements page:

• Windows 7, 8, 8.1, 10 and 11; Windows Server 2012 and 2012 R2.
• x86 builds run natively on 32-bit Windows and via WOW64 on x64 and ARM64.
• x64 builds run natively on 64-bit Windows and via WOW64 on ARM64 Windows 11 or later.
• ARM64 builds run natively on ARM64 Windows.

What it is used for

Tera Term has been a fixture on engineers' PCs for a long time. Network administrators use it to log in to switches and routers through a console cable, embedded developers use it to read debug output from boards over a USB-to-serial adapter, and system administrators open SSH sessions to Linux servers. Its macro language is a big reason people stay with it: repetitive jobs such as logging in to a device, sending a series of commands and saving the output can be scripted and run with one click. Logging is equally practical: everything that appears in the window can be written to a file with timestamps, which is valuable when you need to prove what a device printed.

Guide: first connections

1. Download the installer or the portable archive from the official website.
2. For a server, choose TCP/IP, enter the host name, select SSH and log in with your user name and password or key.
3. For hardware, choose Serial, pick the COM port and set the speed and other parameters from the device manual.
4. Turn on logging from the File menu if you need a record of the session.
5. Save the setup so the next connection takes one click.

Security notes

Use SSH rather than Telnet whenever the device supports it, since Telnet sends passwords unencrypted. Check a server's host key the first time you connect and keep Tera Term updated; security fixes and changes are listed in the release history.

Pros and cons

• Pro: SSH, Telnet and serial connections in one program.
• Pro: macros for repetitive tasks.
• Pro: free and open source.
• Con: interface looks dated.
• Con: the macro language takes some learning.

Alternatives

PuTTY is the other classic free terminal in our listings, and MobaXterm combines a terminal with file transfer and more. WinSCP and FileZilla handle file transfers over SFTP.