How to run a traceroute
A traceroute checks how data packets are sent to a specific address using your internet connection, taking note of each stop along the way. It's a good way to see the latency (delay) between different servers that make up the internet.
You can also run a traceroute with the PingPlotter app.
Select one of the links below to jump to a query:
Traceroute in Windows
- Open the Command Prompt program. You’ll find this by typing “cmd” into your computer’s search bar. It can also be found in Start menu > All Programs > Accessories folder.
- A black box with a flashing cursor will open; this is the Command Prompt. Type “tracert” and then hit the space bar, followed by the address to trace (e.g. "tracert google.com") and then hit the Enter key on your keyboard.
- Wait for the test to run. The trace results will be listed in the Command Prompt.
- During a traceroute, each new server the data goes to is called a hop. By default, a maximum of 30 hops will be traced.
- In a list of traceroute results, these hopes will be numbered, with the last hop always being your destination address (unless the data is unable to reach the destination).
- Three latency times (in milliseconds) will be shown next to each hop. The mean average of these times is considered to be the latency for that server.
- Following the latency times, the server's domain and/or IP address will be shown. Typically you'll be able to search online for a specific IP address to get a better idea of where it is.
- It's not uncommon for certain hops to be traced as "* * * Request timed out", such as hop 3 in the example below. This is because the server is deliberately ignoring the ICMP packets sent by a traceroute program, so there's nothing to worry about.
- To copy-paste results, right-click in the black window and select Mark. A highlighter cursor will show up on the text.
- Use the up/down arrow keys on your keyboard, move the cursor to the beginning of the text you wish to select.
- Hold down the Shift key and use the down/right arrow keys on your keyboard to highlight the entire block of text you wish to copy, then simply press the Enter key. Please note that the usual CTRL+C shortcut will not successfully copy the text; you must use the Enter key while the text is highlighted.
- The text is now copied. Open Word, Notepad or any other text editor or email program and use CTRL+V to paste the copied text.
Traceroute in macOS
- Open Finder and select Applications > Utilities, then open the Terminal app.
- Type “traceroute” and then hit Space on your keyboard.
- Type the address you want to traceroute, then hit Enter on your keyboard.
e.g. "tracert iinet.net.au"
- Wait for the test to finish.
- A traceroute will test a maximum of 30 "hops". Each hop is a new server that the data passes through on its way to its destination. The first hop is your modem, and the last hop is the server for the address you've tracerouted.
Don't worry if some hops come up as "* * * Request timed out". Some servers deliberately ignore the data packets used for traceroute tests. - Three latency times (in milliseconds) will be shown before the domain or IP address for each hop. The mean average of these times is considered to be the latency for that server.
For example, 32ms + 50ms + 33ms / 3 = a latency of 38.3 milliseconds.
You can search online for a specific IP address to get a better idea of where it is. - To copy-paste your traceroute results: Click and drag the cursor to select the text you want to copy, then right-click and select Copy, or hit Command ⌘+C on your keyboard.
Open TextEdit or any other text editor or email app and use Command ⌘+V to paste the copied text.