WinRS (Windows Remote Shell) is a command-line tool that allows you to execute commands on remote Windows machines using Windows Remote Management (WinRM). It’s built into modern Windows systems and is especially useful for remote administration without needing full remote desktop access.

🧠 What Is WinRS?

• Client-side tool for interacting with remote systems via WinRM
• Introduced with Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008
• Uses the WS-Management protocol, a SOAP-based standard for remote management

⚙️ How WinRS Works

WinRS connects to a remote machine where WinRM is enabled, and sends commands that are executed in a remote shell. It’s similar to SSH for Linux, but designed for Windows environments.

Example Command:

winrs -r:RemotePC ipconfig

This runs ipconfig on RemotePC and returns the output locally.

🔐 Requirements

• WinRM must be enabled and configured on both local and remote machines
• Network connectivity and proper firewall rules
• Appropriate user permissions on the remote system

🛡️ Security Features

• Supports Kerberos and NTLM authentication
• Can use SSL encryption with the /usessl switch
• Allows delegation and environment customization

🆚 WinRS vs PsExec

Source: Microsoft Learn – WinRS