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Check Network Latency and Reachability with ping on macOS

Send a fixed number of ICMP echo requests and read the RTT min/avg/max summary and packet loss.

macOSpingmacosnetworkcliLow risk
Run `ping -c 4 example.com` to send exactly four probes and see the round-trip time summary plus packet loss.

01Command

Command
$ ping -c 4 example.com

02What it does

Without -c, macOS ping runs forever until you press Ctrl-C, which is fine for monitoring but bad for a quick check; -c 4 gives a compact result. The trailing statistics show min/avg/max/stddev round-trip times and the packet-loss percentage — loss above a few percent or jittery averages point to Wi-Fi problems, a congested link or a struggling remote host. Use an IP address instead of a hostname (e.g. ping -c 4 1.1.1.1) to separate DNS issues from connectivity issues.

03Risk

RiskLow risk

04Undo

✓No undo needed — this command does not change persistent state.

05Sources

  • ping - Send ICMP ECHO_REQUEST packets to network hosts
    SS64 · technical · 2026-09-17
    Evidence: Documents `-c count` to stop after N packets and `-i wait` for the interval, with usage examples like `ping -i 5 example.com` and round-trip time statistics.
  • ping(8) man page
    Xcode Man Pages (keith.github.io) · technical · 2026-09-17
    Evidence: Man page for ping: `-c count` stops after sending count ECHO_REQUEST packets and prints a summary of round-trip times, packet loss and `-i wait` interval control.

Last verified: 2026-09-19 · Category: Network