How to Run a Ping Check in Windows

What is ping?

Ping sends a tiny message to another computer and waits for an answer. It is like shouting "Hello, are you there?" across a field and listening for the reply. It also tells you how long the answer took.

People use it to see if a server is online. It also shows if the connection is slow or drops.

Steps

1. Press the Windows key on your keyboard.
2. Type cmd.
3. Click Command Prompt. This is a black window where you type commands.
4. Type the command below. Use your own website name.

ping example.com

This sends four test messages to the website and shows the answers.

5. Press Enter.
6. Read the result.

How to read the result

• Reply from ...: the server answered. It is reachable.
• time= shows how many milliseconds the reply took. A millisecond is a thousandth of a second. Lower numbers are better.
• Request timed out: no answer came back.
• Packets lost: the summary tells how many messages were lost. Zero percent is ideal.
• Could not find host: the name is wrong or DNS has a problem. DNS is the internet's phone book that turns names into numbers.

Other handy options

ping -t example.com

This keeps pinging until you press Ctrl + C. It helps you watch a connection over time.

ping 8.8.8.8

This pings a public number address. If this works but a name does not, the problem is DNS.

If you need help, copy the result and send it in a support ticket.

Quick recap

• Ping tests if you can reach another computer.
• Open Command Prompt and type ping and the name.
• Low time and no lost packets are good.
• A timeout may mean ping is blocked.