<PAGE>   1
    AS FILED WITH THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION ON NOVEMBER 6, 1996

                                                           REGISTRATION NO. 333-

                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
                             ----------------------

                                    FORM S-8
                             REGISTRATION STATEMENT
                                      UNDER
                           THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
                             ----------------------

                             WALL DATA INCORPORATED
             (EXACT NAME OF REGISTRANT AS SPECIFIED IN ITS CHARTER)

<TABLE>
<S>                                                                        <C>
                          WASHINGTON                                                    91-1189299
(STATE OR OTHER JURISDICTION OF INCORPORATION OR ORGANIZATION)             (I.R.S. EMPLOYER IDENTIFICATION NO.)
</TABLE>

                              11332 N.E. 122ND WAY
                         KIRKLAND, WASHINGTON 98034-6931
          (ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL EXECUTIVE OFFICES, INCLUDING ZIP CODE)

                             WALL DATA INCORPORATED
                   1994 RESTATED NONOFFICER STOCK OPTION PLAN
                            (FULL TITLE OF THE PLAN)

                                  JAMES SIMPSON
                CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
                              11332 N.E. 122ND WAY
                         KIRKLAND, WASHINGTON 98034-6931
                                 (206) 814-9255
 (NAME, ADDRESS AND TELEPHONE NUMBER, INCLUDING AREA CODE, OF AGENT FOR SERVICE)
                             ----------------------
                                    COPY TO:

                               L. MICHELLE WILSON
                                  PERKINS COIE
                          1201 THIRD AVENUE, 40TH FLOOR
                         SEATTLE, WASHINGTON 98101-3099
                             ----------------------

                         CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>

   TITLE OF SECURITIES        NUMBER TO BE          PROPOSED MAXIMUM                 PROPOSED MAXIMUM              AMOUNT OF
   TO BE REGISTERED (1)      REGISTERED (2)    OFFERING PRICE PER SHARE (3)    AGGREGATE OFFERING PRICE (3)    REGISTRATION FEE
   --------------------      --------------    ----------------------------    ----------------------------    ----------------
<S>                             <C>                  <C>                             <C>                        <C>
Common Stock, no par value      500,000              $13.6875                        $6,843,750                 $2,074
</TABLE>


(1)      Including the associated Preferred Stock Purchase Rights.

(2)      Together with an indeterminate number of additional shares which may be
         necessary to adjust the number of shares reserved for issuance pursuant
         to the Wall Data Incorporated 1994 Restated Nonofficer Stock Option
         Plan as the result of any future stock split, stock dividend or similar
         adjustment of the outstanding Common Stock of the Registrant.

(3)      Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee.
         The price per share is estimated to be $13.6875 based on the average of
         the high ($14.125) and low ($13.250) sales prices for the Common
         Stock in the over-the-counter market on November 5, 1996 as reported on
         the Nasdaq National Market.
<PAGE>   2
                                     PART II

                 INFORMATION REQUIRED IN REGISTRATION STATEMENT

ITEM 3.  INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE

         The following documents are hereby incorporated by reference in this
Registration Statement:

                  (a) The Registrant's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year
ended December 31, 1995 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the
"Commission") on April 1, 1996;

                  (b) The description of the Registrant's Common Stock contained
in the Registration Statement on Form 8-A filed with the Commission on February
3, 1993 under Section 12(g) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended
(the "Exchange Act"), as amended by the Form 8 filed with the Commission on
March 8, 1993, and the description of the Registrant's Preferred Stock Purchase
Rights contained in the Registration Statement on Form 8-A filed with the
Commission on July 20, 1995 under Section 12(g) of the Exchange Act.

                  (c) All other reports filed by the Registrant pursuant to
Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act since the fiscal year covered by the
Form 10-K referred to in (a) above.

         All documents filed by the Registrant pursuant to Sections 13(a),
13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the Exchange Act after the date hereof and prior to the
filing of a post-effective amendment, which indicates that the securities
offered hereby have been sold or which deregisters the securities covered hereby
then remaining unsold, shall also be deemed to be incorporated by reference into
this Registration Statement and to be a part hereof commencing on the respective
dates on which such documents are filed.

ITEM 6.  INDEMNIFICATION OF DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS

         Sections 23B.08.500 through 23B.08.600 of the Washington Business
Corporation Act authorize a court to award, or a corporation's board of
directors to grant, indemnification to directors and officers on terms
sufficiently broad to permit indemnification under certain circumstances for
liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the
"Securities Act"). Section 10 of the Registrant's Bylaws provides for
indemnification of the Registrant's directors, officers, employees and agents to
the maximum extent permitted by Washington law.

         Section 23B.08.320 of the Washington Business Corporation Act
authorizes a corporation to limit a director's liability to the corporation or
its shareholders for monetary damages for acts or omissions as a director,
except in certain circumstances involving intentional misconduct, self-dealing
or illegal corporate loans or distributions, or any transactions from which the
director personally receives a benefit in money, property or services to which
the director is not entitled. Article 11 of the Registrant's Restated Articles
of Incorporation contains provisions implementing, to the fullest extent
permitted by Washington law, such limitations on a director's liability to the
Registrant and its shareholders.

         The Registrant has also entered into indemnification agreements
pursuant to which it has agreed, among other things, to indemnify its directors
and officers against certain liabilities.

ITEM 8.  EXHIBITS

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>

     Exhibit
      Number                      Description
      ------                      -----------
<S>                 <C>
       5.1          Opinion of Perkins Coie

      23.1          Consent of Ernst & Young LLP

      23.2          Consent of Perkins Coie (included in opinion filed as Exhibit 5.1)

      24.1          Power of Attorney (see signature page)

      99.1          Wall Data Incorporated 1994 Restated Nonofficer Stock Option Plan, as
                    amended and restated on October 15, 1996
</TABLE>

                                      II-1
<PAGE>   3
ITEM 9.  UNDERTAKINGS

A.       The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes:

         (1) To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made,
a post-effective amendment to this Registration Statement:
                  
         (ii) To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the
effective date of this Registration Statement (or the most recent post-effective
amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a
fundamental change in the information set forth in this Registration Statement;
and

         (iii) To include any material information with respect to the plan of
distribution not previously disclosed in this Registration Statement or any
material change to such information in this Registration Statement;

provided, however, that paragraphs (1)(i) and (1)(ii) above do not apply if the
information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those
paragraphs is contained in periodic reports filed by the Registrant pursuant to
Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act that are incorporated by
reference in this Registration Statement.

         (2) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the
Securities Act, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new
registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the
offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona
fide offering thereof.

         (3) To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment
any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of
the offering.

B.       The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of
determining any liability under the Securities Act, each filing of the
Registrant's annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange
Act (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefits plan's annual
report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act) that is incorporated by
reference in this Registration Statement shall be deemed to be a new
registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the
offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona
fide offering thereof.

C.       Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities
Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the
Registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the Registrant
has been advised that in the opinion of the Commission such indemnification is
against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore,
unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such
liabilities (other than the payment by the Registrant of expenses incurred or
paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the Registrant in the
successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such
director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being
registered, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter
has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate
jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public
policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final
adjudication of such issue.


                                      II-2
<PAGE>   4
                                   SIGNATURES

         Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended,
the Registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets
all of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this
Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto
duly authorized, in the City of Kirkland, State of Washington, on November 5,
1996.

                                       WALL DATA INCORPORATED


                                       By  /s/ James Simpson
                                           -------------------------
                                           James Simpson
                                           Chairman of the Board and
                                           Chief Executive Officer

                                POWER OF ATTORNEY

         EACH PERSON WHOSE INDIVIDUAL SIGNATURE APPEARS BELOW HEREBY AUTHORIZES
JAMES SIMPSON AND ALEXANDRA A. BROOKSHIRE AND EACH OF THEM AS ATTORNEYS-IN-FACT,
WITH FULL POWER OF SUBSTITUTION, TO EXECUTE IN THE NAME AND ON BEHALF OF SUCH
PERSON, INDIVIDUALLY AND IN EACH CAPACITY STATED BELOW, AND TO FILE, ANY AND ALL
AMENDMENTS TO THIS REGISTRATION STATEMENT, INCLUDING ANY AND ALL POST-EFFECTIVE
AMENDMENTS.

         Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended,
this Registration Statement has been signed below by the following persons in
the capacities indicated on November 5, 1996.


<TABLE>
<CAPTION>


    SIGNATURE                                                            TITLE
    ---------                                                            -----
<S>                                            <C>
/s/ James Simpson                              Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer
____________________________                   (Principal Executive Officer)
    James Simpson

/s/ Richard Van Hoesen                          Vice President Finance, Chief Financial Officer and
____________________________                    Treasurer (Principal Financial Officer and Principal
    Richard Van Hoesen                          Accounting Officer)


/s/ Henry N. Lewis                              Director
____________________________
    Henry N. Lewis


/s/ David F. Millet                             Director
____________________________
    David F. Millet


/s/ Steve Sarich, Jr.                           Director
____________________________
    Steve Sarich, Jr.

/s/ Bettie A. Steiger                           Director
____________________________
    Bettie A. Steiger


/s/ John R. Wall                                Director and President
____________________________
    John R. Wall
</TABLE>

                                      II-3
<PAGE>   5
                                INDEX TO EXHIBITS

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>

      Exhibit
       Number                                             Description
       ------                                             -----------
<S>                   <C>
       5.1            Opinion of Perkins Coie

      23.1            Consent of Ernst & Young LLP

      23.2            Consent of Perkins Coie (included in opinion filed as Exhibit 5.1)

      24.1            Power of Attorney (see signature page)

      99.1            Wall Data Incorporated 1994 Restated Nonofficer Stock Option Plan, as amended and
                      restated on October 15, 1996
</TABLE>
[{"type": "S-8", "sequence": "1", "description": "FORM S-8 DATED NOVEMBER 6, 1996", "secsgml_size_bytes": 14384}]
{"company-data": {"conformed-name": "WALL DATA INC", "cik": "0000722607", "assigned-sic": "7372", "irs-number": "911189299", "state-of-incorporation": "WA", "fiscal-year-end": "1231"}, "filing-values": {"form-type": "S-8", "act": "33", "file-number": "333-15615", "film-number": "96655105"}, "business-address": {"street1": "11332 NE 122ND WAY", "city": "KIRKLAND", "state": "WA", "zip": "98034-6931", "phone": "2068149255"}, "mail-address": {"street2": "11332 NE 122ND WAY", "city": "KIRKLAND", "state": "WA", "zip": "98034"}}
1
    AS FILED WITH THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION ON NOVEMBER 6, 1996

                                                           REGISTRATION NO. 333-

                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
                             ----------------------

                                    FORM S-8
                             REGISTRATION STATEMENT
                                      UNDER
                           THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
                             ----------------------

                             WALL DATA INCORPORATED
             (EXACT NAME OF REGISTRANT AS SPECIFIED IN ITS CHARTER)
WASHINGTON                                                    91-1189299
(STATE OR OTHER JURISDICTION OF INCORPORATION OR ORGANIZATION)             (I.R.S. EMPLOYER IDENTIFICATION NO.)
11332 N.E. 122ND WAY
                         KIRKLAND, WASHINGTON 98034-6931
          (ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL EXECUTIVE OFFICES, INCLUDING ZIP CODE)

                             WALL DATA INCORPORATED
                   1994 RESTATED NONOFFICER STOCK OPTION PLAN
                            (FULL TITLE OF THE PLAN)

                                  JAMES SIMPSON
                CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
                              11332 N.E. 122ND WAY
                         KIRKLAND, WASHINGTON 98034-6931
                                 (206) 814-9255
 (NAME, ADDRESS AND TELEPHONE NUMBER, INCLUDING AREA CODE, OF AGENT FOR SERVICE)
                             ----------------------
                                    COPY TO:

                               L. MICHELLE WILSON
                                  PERKINS COIE
                          1201 THIRD AVENUE, 40TH FLOOR
                         SEATTLE, WASHINGTON 98101-3099
                             ----------------------

                         CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE
TITLE OF SECURITIES        NUMBER TO BE          PROPOSED MAXIMUM                 PROPOSED MAXIMUM              AMOUNT OF
   TO BE REGISTERED (1)      REGISTERED (2)    OFFERING PRICE PER SHARE (3)    AGGREGATE OFFERING PRICE (3)    REGISTRATION FEE
   --------------------      --------------    ----------------------------    ----------------------------    ----------------
Common Stock, no par value      500,000              $13.6875                        $6,843,750                 $2,074
(1)      Including the associated Preferred Stock Purchase Rights.

(2)      Together with an indeterminate number of additional shares which may be
         necessary to adjust the number of shares reserved for issuance pursuant
         to the Wall Data Incorporated 1994 Restated Nonofficer Stock Option
         Plan as the result of any future stock split, stock dividend or similar
         adjustment of the outstanding Common Stock of the Registrant.

(3)      Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee.
         The price per share is estimated to be $13.6875 based on the average of
         the high ($14.125) and low ($13.250) sales prices for the Common
         Stock in the over-the-counter market on November 5, 1996 as reported on
         the Nasdaq National Market.
2
                                     PART II

                 INFORMATION REQUIRED IN REGISTRATION STATEMENT

ITEM 3.  INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE

         The following documents are hereby incorporated by reference in this
Registration Statement:

                  (a) The Registrant's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year
ended December 31, 1995 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the
"Commission") on April 1, 1996;

                  (b) The description of the Registrant's Common Stock contained
in the Registration Statement on Form 8-A filed with the Commission on February
3, 1993 under Section 12(g) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended
(the "Exchange Act"), as amended by the Form 8 filed with the Commission on
March 8, 1993, and the description of the Registrant's Preferred Stock Purchase
Rights contained in the Registration Statement on Form 8-A filed with the
Commission on July 20, 1995 under Section 12(g) of the Exchange Act.

                  (c) All other reports filed by the Registrant pursuant to
Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act since the fiscal year covered by the
Form 10-K referred to in (a) above.

         All documents filed by the Registrant pursuant to Sections 13(a),
13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the Exchange Act after the date hereof and prior to the
filing of a post-effective amendment, which indicates that the securities
offered hereby have been sold or which deregisters the securities covered hereby
then remaining unsold, shall also be deemed to be incorporated by reference into
this Registration Statement and to be a part hereof commencing on the respective
dates on which such documents are filed.

ITEM 6.  INDEMNIFICATION OF DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS

         Sections 23B.08.500 through 23B.08.600 of the Washington Business
Corporation Act authorize a court to award, or a corporation's board of
directors to grant, indemnification to directors and officers on terms
sufficiently broad to permit indemnification under certain circumstances for
liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the
"Securities Act"). Section 10 of the Registrant's Bylaws provides for
indemnification of the Registrant's directors, officers, employees and agents to
the maximum extent permitted by Washington law.

         Section 23B.08.320 of the Washington Business Corporation Act
authorizes a corporation to limit a director's liability to the corporation or
its shareholders for monetary damages for acts or omissions as a director,
except in certain circumstances involving intentional misconduct, self-dealing
or illegal corporate loans or distributions, or any transactions from which the
director personally receives a benefit in money, property or services to which
the director is not entitled. Article 11 of the Registrant's Restated Articles
of Incorporation contains provisions implementing, to the fullest extent
permitted by Washington law, such limitations on a director's liability to the
Registrant and its shareholders.

         The Registrant has also entered into indemnification agreements
pursuant to which it has agreed, among other things, to indemnify its directors
and officers against certain liabilities.

ITEM 8.  EXHIBITS
Exhibit
      Number                      Description
      ------                      -----------
5.1          Opinion of Perkins Coie

      23.1          Consent of Ernst & Young LLP

      23.2          Consent of Perkins Coie (included in opinion filed as Exhibit 5.1)

      24.1          Power of Attorney (see signature page)

      99.1          Wall Data Incorporated 1994 Restated Nonofficer Stock Option Plan, as
                    amended and restated on October 15, 1996
II-1
3
ITEM 9.  UNDERTAKINGS

A.       The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes:

         (1) To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made,
a post-effective amendment to this Registration Statement:
                  
         (ii) To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the
effective date of this Registration Statement (or the most recent post-effective
amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a
fundamental change in the information set forth in this Registration Statement;
and

         (iii) To include any material information with respect to the plan of
distribution not previously disclosed in this Registration Statement or any
material change to such information in this Registration Statement;

provided, however, that paragraphs (1)(i) and (1)(ii) above do not apply if the
information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those
paragraphs is contained in periodic reports filed by the Registrant pursuant to
Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act that are incorporated by
reference in this Registration Statement.

         (2) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the
Securities Act, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new
registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the
offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona
fide offering thereof.

         (3) To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment
any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of
the offering.

B.       The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of
determining any liability under the Securities Act, each filing of the
Registrant's annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange
Act (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefits plan's annual
report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act) that is incorporated by
reference in this Registration Statement shall be deemed to be a new
registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the
offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona
fide offering thereof.

C.       Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities
Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the
Registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the Registrant
has been advised that in the opinion of the Commission such indemnification is
against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore,
unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such
liabilities (other than the payment by the Registrant of expenses incurred or
paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the Registrant in the
successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such
director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being
registered, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter
has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate
jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public
policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final
adjudication of such issue.

                                      II-2
4
                                   SIGNATURES

         Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended,
the Registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets
all of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this
Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto
duly authorized, in the City of Kirkland, State of Washington, on November 5,
1996.

                                       WALL DATA INCORPORATED

                                       By  /s/ James Simpson
                                           -------------------------
                                           James Simpson
                                           Chairman of the Board and
                                           Chief Executive Officer

                                POWER OF ATTORNEY

         EACH PERSON WHOSE INDIVIDUAL SIGNATURE APPEARS BELOW HEREBY AUTHORIZES
JAMES SIMPSON AND ALEXANDRA A. BROOKSHIRE AND EACH OF THEM AS ATTORNEYS-IN-FACT,
WITH FULL POWER OF SUBSTITUTION, TO EXECUTE IN THE NAME AND ON BEHALF OF SUCH
PERSON, INDIVIDUALLY AND IN EACH CAPACITY STATED BELOW, AND TO FILE, ANY AND ALL
AMENDMENTS TO THIS REGISTRATION STATEMENT, INCLUDING ANY AND ALL POST-EFFECTIVE
AMENDMENTS.

         Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended,
this Registration Statement has been signed below by the following persons in
the capacities indicated on November 5, 1996.
SIGNATURE                                                            TITLE
    ---------                                                            -----
/s/ James Simpson                              Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer
____________________________                   (Principal Executive Officer)
    James Simpson

/s/ Richard Van Hoesen                          Vice President Finance, Chief Financial Officer and
____________________________                    Treasurer (Principal Financial Officer and Principal
    Richard Van Hoesen                          Accounting Officer)

/s/ Henry N. Lewis                              Director
____________________________
    Henry N. Lewis

/s/ David F. Millet                             Director
____________________________
    David F. Millet

/s/ Steve Sarich, Jr.                           Director
____________________________
    Steve Sarich, Jr.

/s/ Bettie A. Steiger                           Director
____________________________
    Bettie A. Steiger

/s/ John R. Wall                                Director and President
____________________________
    John R. Wall
II-3
5
                                INDEX TO EXHIBITS
Exhibit
       Number                                             Description
       ------                                             -----------
5.1            Opinion of Perkins Coie

      23.1            Consent of Ernst & Young LLP

      23.2            Consent of Perkins Coie (included in opinion filed as Exhibit 5.1)

      24.1            Power of Attorney (see signature page)

      99.1            Wall Data Incorporated 1994 Restated Nonofficer Stock Option Plan, as amended and
                      restated on October 15, 1996