ServerHub Knowledge Base

Traceroute is an application that traces the path data takes from one computer to another. Basically a traceroute is a map that shows what stops or locations that data must pass through in order to go from one computer to another. This is a very effective troubleshooting tool when diagnosing connectivity issues from one server to another.

Help! How do I run a trace route?

Have no fear! We’ve got you covered on how to run a traceroute for both Windows and MacOS

To Run a Traceroute in Windows

The command application (cmd.exe) is used to run a traceroute on Windows.

Launching it is slightly different depending on your version of Windows:

• In Windows 7:
  • click on the Start menu
  • type “cmd” and press Enter to get a command prompt.
• In Windows 8:
  • move your mouse to the bottom-left corner of the screen to bring up the Start icon.
  • Right-click on Start and select Run.
  • Then type “command” and press Enter to launch the application.
  • Alternatively, you can type “command” into the Search field in the Charms menu after moving your mouse to the lower right corner of your desktop.
• In Windows 10, type “command” into the search menu and press Enter for a command prompt.

To run the traceroute, type:

tracert desireddomainname.com

into the command prompt, where “desireddomainname.com” is the name of the server to which you are having difficulty connecting.

The traceroute may take only a few seconds or a few minutes. Typically, the closer you are to the server, geographically, the more quickly the traceroute will complete.

To Run a Traceroute in Mac OS X

If you have a Mac, you can use the built-in network tools to run a traceroute which can be rather helpful.

• Launch Spotlight (with ⌘ + SPACE or by clicking on the magnifying glass in your menu) to search for and launch Network Utility.
• Select the Traceroute tab and enter the hostname or domain name.
• You also can perform a traceroute from the Terminal app. Simply enter:traceroute domainname.com

If you believe you are experiencing network issues, having the output of trace-route handy and providing it, along with your public IPV4 address  is very helpful if you need to contact ServerHub customer support.