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Trace the network route to a host on Windows (tracert)

Show every router hop between your machine and a destination with round-trip times, Windows' built-in traceroute equivalent.

WindowsnetworklatencytroubleshootingLow risk
Run tracert example.com (add -d to skip hostname lookups) to list each router hop on the path to the destination.

01Command

Command
$ tracert -d example.com

02What it does

Windows calls it tracert, not traceroute, and it uses ICMP echo requests rather than the UDP packets classic traceroute sends, so some firewalls treat it differently. -d is the flag people forget: without it, every hop triggers a reverse-DNS lookup, which often dominates the runtime. -h 30 caps the hop count and -w 500 shortens the per-reply timeout when many hops silently drop ICMP.

03Risk

RiskLow risk
!Warning: Asterisks (*) mean a hop did not answer ICMP — many routers deliberately deprioritize or drop it, so mid-path asterisks alone do not prove a problem.

04Undo

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

05Sources

  • TRACERT - Windows CMD
    SS64 · technical · 2026-09-17
    Evidence: SS64 lists tracert options including -d (no hostname resolution), -h maximum_hops, and -w timeout per reply.
  • tracert | Microsoft Learn
    Microsoft · vendor-doc · 2026-09-17
    Evidence: Microsoft documents tracert as determining the path taken to a destination by sending ICMP echo requests with incrementing TTL values, and lists the -d flag to skip reverse DNS lookups.

Last verified: 2026-09-17 · Category: Network

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