mikrotik winbox
Mikrotik

Mikrotik WinBox

Mikrotik Winbox is an official, standalone configuration tool developed by MikroTik for managing RouterOS, the operating system used in all MikroTik routers and wireless devices.

It provides a graphical interface (GUI) for full access to all features and configuration options on a MikroTik device. Winbox is widely used by network administrators, ISPs, and IT professionals for configuring and monitoring MikroTik routers quickly and efficiently.

Full RouterOS Access

You can configure everything in RouterOS—routing, interfaces, firewall, wireless, bridges, VPNs, DHCP, and more.

Graphical User Interface (GUI)

Offers an intuitive layout with menus, tabs, and windows, reducing the learning curve compared to CLI.

Real-Time Monitoring

View graphs and stats of bandwidth usage, CPU load, memory, wireless signal strength, etc.

Safe Mode

A special mode that lets you revert changes automatically if you lose access or misconfigure the router.

Session Caching

Remembers previous device IPs and usernames for fast reconnection.

Drag-and-Drop Support

Import/export scripts or configurations directly into the interface.

Plugin-Based

Description

Mikrotik Winbox

Starting WinBox

WinBox loader can be downloaded from the MikroTik download page. When WinBox.exe is downloaded, double click on it, and the WinBox loader window will pop up. There are two WinBox loader modes: simple which is enabled by default and advanced.

Simple mode

When you open WinBox loader for the first time simple mode layout will be used:To connect to the router enter the IP or MAC address of the router, specify username and password (if any) and click on the Connect button. You can also enter the port number after the IP address, separating them with a colon, like this 192.168.88.1:9999. The port can be changed in the RouterOS services menu.

It is recommended to use an IP address whenever possible. MAC session uses network broadcasts and is not 100% reliable.

You can also use neighbor discovery, to list available routers use the Neighbors tab:

From the list of discovered routers, you can click on the IP or MAC address column to connect to that router. If you click on IP address then IP will be used to connect, but if you click on MAC Address then the MAC address will be used to connect to the router.

Neighbor discovery will show also devices that are not compatible with WinBox, like Cisco routers or any other device that uses CDP (Cisco Discovery Protocol). If you will try to connect to a SwOS device, then the connection will be established through a web browser

Buttons/check-boxes and Other Fields

  • Connect – Connect to the router
  • Connect To RoMON – Connect to RoMON Agent
  • Add/set – Save/Edit any of the saved router entries in the Managed tab.
  • Open In New Window – Leaves loader open in the background and opens new windows for each device to which connection is made.
  • Connect To: – destination IP or MAC address of the router
  • Login – username used for authentication
  • Password – password used for authentication
  • Keep Password – if unchecked, the password is not saved to the list

Menu Items

  • File
    • New – Create a new managed router list in a specified location
    • Open – Open managed router list file
    • Save As – Save current managed router list to file
    • Exit – Exit WinBox loader
  • Tools
    • Advanced Mode – Enables/Disables advanced mode view
    • Import – Imports saved session file
    • Export – Exports saved session file
    • Move Session Folder – Change path where session files are stored
    • Clear cache – Clear WinBox cache
    • Check For Updates – Check for updates for WinBox loader

Advanced mode

Additional WinBox loader parameters are revealed when an advanced mode is enabled with Tools → Advanced Mode:

 

 

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