How do I run a traceroute on my computer?
This article will show you how to perform a traceroute on Windows and Mac.
If you’re experiencing a problem with your network, you may wish to run a traceroute so that you can identify the root cause. This can be done straight from your computer, although the process will vary depending on your operation system.
What is a traceroute?
A traceroute is a command that’s used to generate a map of your network, allowing you to see the exact path your data (or traffic) is taking. You will also see any delays or points of failure within your network pathway.
How do traceroutes work?
When you initiate a traceroute, Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) packets will be sent to each router that’s involved in transferring your data. This is known as a ‘hop’, as the data within these packets will hop from router to router.
Each packet will have a Time-to-Live (TTL) value assigned to it, which will decrease by one when it passes through a router. Once this value hits zero, that router will state the message ‘Time-to-live exceeded’, along with its IP address and the time it took to process this packet. To ensure these results are correct, each hop will consist of three ICMP packets. This will continue until either the packets reach the destination, or the maximum number of hops (30) has been reached.
If you see an asterisk for that hop, along with the message ‘Request timed out’, this could mean that that router is experiencing a connection issue or that the packets were stopped by a firewall.
How do I perform a traceroute?
To run a traceroute, please select your operating system from the list below:
Windows
Start by opening Command Prompt on your computer.
Enter the following command into the field that states ‘C:\Users\system>’:
tracert your-domain.co.uk
Be sure to replace your-domain.co.uk with the domain you’re trying to access. Once you’ve done this, press Enter on your keyboard.
Once the traceroute has finished, select all the text that appears by pressing Ctrl + A on your keyboard. From there, copy (Ctrl + C) and paste (Ctrl + V) this text into a document so that you have a note of it.
Mac
Start by opening Terminal on your computer.
Enter the following command into the provided window:
traceroute www.your-domain.co.uk
Be sure to replace www.your-domain.co.uk with the domain you’re trying to access. Once you’ve done this, press Return on your keyboard.
Once the traceroute has finished, select all the text that appears and then copy (Command + C) and paste (Command + V) it into a document so that you have a note of it.