Tools & Commands · Linux and Windows Commands
traceroute
Connectivity · Beginner
Shows the routers a packet passes through on the way to a destination by using increasing hop limits. Windows provides the same idea under a shorter command name.
Each line is one hop. Timeouts do not always mean the path is broken, because some routers refuse the diagnostic message while still forwarding real traffic.
Example: traceroute 192.0.2.1 on Linux and macOS, or tracert 192.0.2.1 on Windows, prints each hop toward that address.
Command
Platform: traceroute on Linux and macOS; tracert on Windows
traceroute 192.0.2.1
Each numbered line is one hop. Three times are usually shown for that hop. Asterisks mean a probe was not answered.
Common misconception
- A hop that shows only asterisks is not automatically down. It may simply refuse the probe.